Friends and Foes
by where tears fall
Summary: Aragorn and Legolas meet for the first time. Can they overcome thier differences to face the dangers of Mirkwood and an even greater mystery? Rated for saftey. PLEASE REVIEW! Constuctive critisism is always welcome! Along with anything else. AU!
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Lord of the Rings or any charaters or places- please don't sue me!

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**A dark man with unruly brown hair walked calmly on the light path through the forest. He sifted the pack he was carrying from his left shoulder to his right, grunting slightly under his breath as he did so. Aragorn grabbed the cloak he was wearing tightly around his body, trying to ward off the cold that seemed to creep up at him as the sun began to drift closer to the horizon. 

He looked wearily around the path he was walking. The woods of Mirkwood were dangerous, especially at night. There was many a time when his foster twin brothers Elldan and Elhoir told him of the dark perils that laid in these woods.

They had strung stories of the infamous Mirkwood spiders and their venom that could paralyze an unsuspecting elf. He shivered at the thought of the eight-legged monsters crawling along the trees; deadly fangs hanging from their mouths, dripping with the blood of an unsuspecting traveler. The man's eyes darted around the trees praying that he would not catch a glimpse of one of the arachnids. He found himself wishing that he would have never come here to this forsaken place. He could be at home. Watching his foster father Elrond turn an unusual color of purplish- red at the twins for the latest prank that they decided to pull. He would then just happen to walk in while Elrohir was trying to use his quick tongue to get away with it. If he was lucky he may have just "slipped" a suggestion for an appropriate punishment such as... doing all the chores in the house for a month.The man chuckled to himself.

_Ah Yes! That would certainly be better than walking in this evil-infested forest. But then again, he could have been on the bad end of the prank. _

The man shivered at the thought and decided that facing a couple hundred creepy-crawly bugs wasn't so bad after all.

The man's head shot to the right and he remained completely still for he thought that he had heard something. Aragorn hung there, features frozen as a statute, hand on the hilt of his sword, for a few seconds waiting for any sign of movement in the bushes to the right of him. After a few more seconds passed with no sign of any "monster" lurking in the bushes besides some dead leaves, he straightened up and shook his head. He was certain that he was hearing things.

_He was nearly twenty for Eberth's sake! He was not a child anymore. Wasn't this what the whole journey to Mirkwood was about? To prove that he was capable of surviving on his own! He should not be so frightened!_

Elrond had given him a letter to present to King Thranduil of Mirkwood. Of course it did not of any matter of great importance, but this was like a test to him. He was certain he could go to Mirkwood and back relatively unscathed, or that is what he had told his ada. Elrond had been wary of letting his youngest son travel all the way to Mirkwood. The paths to the city were misleading and it was very easy for someone to get lost in the dangerous forest. So he sent escorts to lead him half the way there. Of course Aragorn had turned the escorts around about a days length into the journey, and he was positive that Elrond would be furious when he returned.

The scruffy man laughed slightly to himself and continued on the forest road. He should be reaching Mirkwood by tomorrow's midday. He would make it there and come back fine! He would finally show his father that he was not a boy!

A sound cam from the man's right. Aragorn stopped and listened. He could hear something. Something was coming. It was a distinct _thump thump thump_ of a large creature's feet bearing down upon the forest floor.

Aragorn searched his surroundings for a place to take cover. Unfortunately, he hadn't enough time to seek shelter in the trees. If the creature was what he expected it to be, he probably would not even reach the first branch.

There was only one thing to do.

Aragorn quicky discarded his pack with herbs and food in a nearby bush, all the while the noise of the creature grew louder.

Some how he thought he might need some healing herbs _if _he survived this attack. The huamn swiftly took out his blade and held it before him, poised for attack. He had one last thought before the creature emerged from the nearby trees.

_Maybe the twins pranks aren't that bad after all._

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the characters or places or anything else. Please don't sue me!

**where tears fall: Thanks so much to all the wonderful people who reviewed! You amek me happy. Concerning Aragorn, I know he doesn't find out who he really is till he is 20, but this his my story andI have him learn that at a young age. Itried to make the chapters longer, andI apoligize previously for any mistakes I have on any of the heredity or personalities of any of the characters. zfrom now on I will update about once (or twice if I can) a week. Yea! chapter two!**

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A spider wailed through the night as an arrow caught it through its middle. The arachnid fell limp out of the tree, and landed in a heap by its fallen comrades. A fair, blond elf clad in green and brown nimbly leapt out a tree and silently landed next to the pile of creatures.

He plucked an arrow from the spider's midsection and placed it back in his pack.

The fair elf looked scowled at the pile of dead spiders on the forest floor. There very being made him frown.

Their oversized abdomen and hideous features were the very symbol of what the great forest was becoming.

Mirkwood was not always this dark and dangerous. It once had been a great place of light. It was once called Greenwood the Great.

Then evil started to take over the great forest and it became a place known for its evil creatures, especially the spiders.

Legolas broke his stare away from the pile of arachnids and began to walk through the trees, the last of the sun's rays reflecting off his golden hair. He was supposed to be on a hunting trip, or that is what he told his adar, King Thranduil.

He was only supposed to be gone for a couple of days.

But he had become... preoccupied.

Legolas sighed and brushed a strand of golden blond hair from his face. His adar did not want him to go, but Legolas had convinced him otherwise. It was dark times in Mirkwood. Far too dark for the Wood-elf King's liking.

It was not a safe place for anyone, not alone the crowned prince of Mirkwood, to be "gallivanting around the forest". As his father had put it.

Thranduil wanted him to stay in the castle grounds and learn the ways of the court, but Legolas's heart truly lay in the forest.

He loved the trees and every light creature that walked under the green canopy. He had a connection with nature that even the wood-elves thought was unnatural. The elf would spend days if he could just sitting in a tree and humming a light tune; feeling the cool breeze flowing through his hair and listening to the song of nature.

But, sadly, he was a prince and had duties he needed to fulfill and the once safe forest was steadily gaining darkness everyday.

Legolas truly abhorred the council meetings he was obliged to attend. They were positively boring. He would usually spend the time pretending to listen to the drabble of the certain elves go on about on thing or another, while he thought about the fresh air and cool breezes.

But he was the prince, and as the prince it was his duty to go to the meetings, even though he had almost no say in any of the issues presented.

He needed a break from the palace and the meetings. That is why he wished to go on a hunting trip.

Although he did not mention to his ada what he would be hunting…

Spiders and wargs roamed about constantly causing trouble and infesting the forest.

Legolas had been listening to the song of bird, when he heard the wretched spider's call and decided to "investigate".

Unfortunately, his "investigation" led the blond elf farther than he intended to go into the forest. He had easily taken out the spiders, for they were relatively small (compared to some other spiders in the forest) and there was not that many of them. Unfortunately, the prince had wasted precious time.

Now there would be not time to go on a real hunting trip and come back without his adar sending half the army after him.

The light from the sun was waning as it sank lower into the sky. Legolas looked up at the clouds and listened to the soft voice of forest sing its song to him. Legolas smiled broadly at the melody of the trees. Most of the trees were still fair and good. Their song always lifted his spirits.

He continued this way walking soundlessly along the forest floor, absorbing the beauty of the forest it's self.

The trees suddenly became silent all at once. The fair elf became completely alert and swiftly took out his elegantly crafted elven bow.

His keen elf-eyes swept the forest and his elf ears listened for the faintest sounds. He could hear the faint whispering among the trees as the wind blew by a soundless warning. The trees became unusually loud and urged him to run.

They warned of danger and were screaming at him to take shelter fast.

Through the jumbled warnings, all the trees said the same thing before an eerie hush came over the forest.

All Legolas could hear was his soundless breathing as one last tree whispered: _wargs_

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A huge snarling beast came out of the forest at tremendous speed and bore down upon its prey.

"Wargs! It just_ had_ to be wargs! I always get all the luck." Aragorn said to himself as he sprung out of the way of the beast's attack.

He slashed the warg's shoulder as it came down narrowly avoiding the man. The warg howled a blood curdling scream which allowed its huge fangs to be exposed, stained with the blood of its previous victims.

Aragorn pushed down the bile rising in his throat, as he avoided the attack of the now extremely angry warg.

The warg sprang out again just narrowly missing Aragorn, and ran back around, prepared to attack again. The enormous warg now stood infront of the man. It's fur gnarled and wrenched, claws sharp enough to slash a man's throat open. Blood steadily flowed from a wound on it's shoulder were Aragorn had cut it. It growled at Aragorn exposing again it's blood stained teeth yet again. It's eyes were a pinpointed yellow that seemed to be deciding how to eat it's prey.

Aragorn took a step back. He couldn't avoid the attacks of the beast forever. A smile crept up on his face as he thought of what to do. The beast lunged down upon him barely giving him a second to react, but this time he stood his ground and drove he sword into the skull of the beast, with a sickening sound that made his stomach lurch.

Unfortunately, he missed calculated how fast the warg was running and was driven back onto the ground with a very dead warg crushing him.

The air was abruptly knocked out of his lungs, and it felt like an eternity before he regained it.

Even with regaining it, his side hurt and he suspected that it was from a combination of a bruised rib and a very large animal crushing him.

He tried to move, but the stench of the beast alone was enough to make him gag, never mind his pounding head and rib.

The beast had pinned him down on his chest, and it would take awhile for him to regain enough energy to push it off. In the meantime warm blood from the warg's wound flowed down upon him, making him want to vomit again.

"Just great, now your going to die here under this wretched beast." Aragorn said to himself as he tried to painfully wriggle his way out from under the warg.

But, something was pricing at the back of his mind.

Something _very_ important that he felt he was supposed to remember.

An ear-piercing howl from the right made him quickly realize what it was.

_A yes, wargs always hunt in packs. _Aragorn thought

_Like I said, I always have the best luck..._

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**where tears fall: hoped you liked it. Reviews are always welcome- anything- praises, critiques, (Did I miss a comma somewhere?) Look for the next chapter next week. Thanks again to my reviewers!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the LOTR or any charaters**

**where tears fall: thanx soo much to all my wounderful reviewers! Thank you for your tips and adive. Like I promised, this chapter is longer! yea!**

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Chapter 3

Legolas sprinted through the woods as soon as his sensitive ears heard the call of the warg, his feet barely disturbing the forest floor as he sped through the forest.

But his path was not leading away from the warg. It leading to the beast.

Normally if the elf had heard a warg, he would have tried avoid it at all costs, for wargs were vicious beasts that usually hunted in packs. There was no way any elf, even himself, could take on ten of the beasts at once.

But now he was running right to the animals. He was sure his ears had picked up the sound of a fight, and if one of his fellow elves was fighting the beasts, he would not hide or run away.

Legoas leapt to the closest tree and continued his trek through the trees.

(Wood elves are considerably faster on trees than they are on land.)

The fair being sprinted along the trees with such grace and balance only an elf could posses.

He halted and crouched low in a tree when he came to a small clearing.

The sight that greeted him would have been hilarious in any other circumstance.

There before him lay a dead warg and apparently its slayer trapped underneath. Legolas raised an elegant eyebrow at the scene. The elf could not tell what the being was, for he was covered in whole by the bulk of the dead warg.

The blond elf looked intently at the trapped being who, at the moment, was fruitlessly struggling.

The being swiftly turned his head as much as his body would allow him, trying to see through the thick bushes.

Legolas gaped at what he saw.

The being was a human!

Legolas blinked a few times trying to see if his prestigious elven eyes were deceiving him.

He looked at wonder at the shape of the man's ears and his rugged appearance.

It was obvious that the man was alive and not seriously injured, for he was moving around, desperately trying to get out from underneath the warg.

A sensation of curiosity was replaced by fear that quickly engulfed the elf.

The elf looked suspiciously at the man from the safety of the trees, unconsciously drawing back towards the tree.

Legolas had only seen a man once and it was not a very pleasant meeting.

His adar and whole kingdom held a semi-hatred of the race of men that Legolas did not fully understand. Even though his first meeting with a man was not the best, he refused to believe that all the race of man was bad.

His father had drilled it into his head that "They were greedy and only helped if it would profit themselves" and that. "They were disgusting and selfish." Legolas looked down at the man pinned by the warg, sympathy and hatred showing in his blue eyes. He clenched and unclenched as emotions and feelings consumed him.

He was tempted to turn away and leave the man to die.

Men were supposed to be terrible and greedy.

_But it would be inhumane to simply leave the man. _

_Why was he here anyways? It is his fault that he is in this mess. _

_What if he was just passing by? He needs help._

Legolas remained staring at the man, his heart and mind both creating an intense battle that raged within him. The man looked so pitiful and needy.

Legoas sighed.

His father had told him once that his good heart would kill him one day.

He just hoped to Valar that this was not that day.

Legoas knew he had to help the man, human or not.

The elf shot his head to the side and saw three more wargs coming toward the clearing. Legolas swiftly took out his bow and strung an arrow. He waited a few precarious moments, blue orbs searching for a target, and let the arrow go. The arrow sailed through the air and struck one of the beasts perfectly in the heart, causing it to keel over and die instantly. The other wargs did not even pause their campaign for a moment as their comrade toppled to the ground.

Legolas already had another arrow ready before the fist one struck but did not let it fly. The wargs were already too close to the clearing. If he wanted to save the man, he would have to use his knives. With a sigh Legolas discarded his bow and pulled out his twin elven knives, erecting a noise of metal on metal as he pulled them from their sheaths.

He soundlessly jumped down from the safety of the tree, ignoring the strand of golden blond hair that fell on his face, and prepared to fight the bloodthirsty wargs bounding a him.

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Aragorn cringed at the horrible howling of the wargs. He knew more were coming, he just had no idea how many. Plus he was still trapped underneath the huge, dead beast.

He valiantly reached for his sword in attempted to draw it out of the skull of the beast.

He needed to defend himself, even though he highly doubted that he could in his state.

Aragorn reached toward the head of the warg even though his ribs felt as though someone was lighting a very large fire on his stomach. He stretched his arm as far as it would go before he could take the burning in his ribs no longer.

Aragorn relaxed again letting his head softly fall on the ground, and took deep breath to ease the fire raging in his ribs.

The man reached up again and used all his effort to pull the head of the warg towards him, grunting with pain, and ignoring the thick blood that soaked his arm.

He relaxed again almost feeling the wargs upon him.

_Only one more chance._

He stretched his arm again, reaching with all his might and energy.

The hilt of the sword was only centimeter from his fingers.

He gave one last anguished cry and reached toward the object that looked unnaturally farther than it should be. Aragorn nearly sighed with relief as he grabbed the hilt of the sword, sticking out of the beat's skull.

With some effort (and pain) Aragorn pried it from the warg's head, receiving in return a sickening noise. He grimaced and mumbled something to the effect of "that's nice".

Aragorn turned to the right searching for the other wargs he knew were there. He could make out two of the beasts running towards him.

Aragorn racked his brain for a solution to the current problem.

He was now trapped under a dead warg with a few bruised ribs and only a sword to defend himself with. Aragorn knew full well that the sword he had so valiantly retrieved from the warg's skull would do little to protect him while he was trapped under the beast.

Even if he managed to kill the on coming wargs he still had a problem of him being trapped under an awfully bad smelling warg with a few bruised ribs and nothing to defend himself other than a sword, from the other dark creatures in the woods.

Things were looking very bleak for the human.

He was suddenly aware of another warg that appeared to be dead in the distance. Aragorn did not have time to see what had ended the warg's life as two beasts leapt at him, saliva streaming from their mouths. Aragorn braced himself for the impact of the huge monsters on him, tearing at his throat.

He held his sword out the best he could, but surprisingly enough, the wargs veered to the left as if they were attacking something else.

Aragorn heard the sound of knives and the yelp of a hurt warg but could not see over the warg's unruly hair on top of him. The human pulled at the hair of the warg trying to move it from obstructing his view, but only caused the smell of the warg to become more pungent, and his arm to become more soaked in blood.

The human was left to listen helplessly to the fight going on. There was another yelp and thud, that the man sincerely hoped was a warg and not his defender.

Aragorn became frustrated and heard the distinctive crack of bones and yell.

Suddenly all was silent.

Aragorn held his breath and remained silent. He could hear nothing more than the eerie sound of the wind through the trees and his own heart beat through his ears.

_Enough of this_ he thought and ignoring all pain, pushed at the warg with all his might. He used a combination of pushing pulling and wriggling to try to move the warg.

_Finally,_ the beast moved off his chest and he was able to painfully wriggle the rest of his body out from underneath it.

Aragorn gave a sigh of relief and sat panting and holding his ribs. Sword in hand he stood up, and immediately felt sick. He grabbed at tree for support and waited, head down, for the feeling to subside. He looked up, and the sight that greeted him made him almost want to go back under the warg.

There, on the other side of the clearing, was an elf clad in green and brown laying limply on the ground.

Crimson blood stained his tunic and hair and there were visible scratches and bruises on him.

Along the ground lay three dead wargs.

One that he had killed, and two thatm, apparently, the elf had killed.

He looked at the elf not far from a warg, face down, apparently unconscious, he hoped. Aragorn's healer instincts kicked in at the sight and he ran, or hobbled, as fast ad he could over to the elf and checked for a pulse.

The elf was still alive.

Aragorn let out a sigh and looked for other injuries on the elf.

He flipped the fair being over to get a better look at him, carful not to injure the elf further.

He could not hold a gasp. The elf did not look much older than himself, even though the man was sure the elf was. Elves were immortal, so this one could be hundreds or even thousands of years old, even though he looked younger than twenty. Beside his age, he was surprised to find that the elf was beautiful. Elves were fair by nature, even his own brothers were fairer than any human he had ever seen. But this elf was startling. He had blond hair that seemed to envelope and reflect every light of the sun with unmatched glory, even with crimson blood staining it. He had never seen very many blond elves in his home. Infact, the only other blond elf he knew of was Glorfindel.

Besides his hair, the elf had beautiful porcelain skin that still emitted a faint glow, even with scratches edging the sides.

_This must be a Mirkwood elf._ the man thought a smile perking at his lips.

His ada had warned him that the Mirkwood elves did not trust the race of man, but this elf could not be all bad if he rescued him.

Then again, his ada had also told him not to trust anyone except the King. These were dangerous times. You could not trust everyone you meet. Aragirn knew what he had to do. There was no way he was going to leave the elf that risked his life to save him to die.

He gently checked the elf for injuries. His features hardened when he found a broken rib and a badly bruised leg. Aragorn inspected the elves head and frowned when he found a large gash on the side, most likely the cause of all the blood.

Aragorn sighed. The last of the sun's rays were dwindling on the horizon.

He searched the nearby bushes and sent a silent thanks to Valar when he found his pack undisturbed. He needed dress his and the elf's wounds and make camp soon.

He surveyed the area and decided that they should most likely move away from the dead wargs. Aragorn crinkled his nose. The stench was astounding! And he thought it smelt bad when there was one!

He would have move to a different area with out hurting the elf or himself.

Then, hopefully he would have some answers as to how the fair elf found him.

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**where tears fall: Please review! Any thing I need to improve on? Any grammer mistakes? Do you like it or hate it? I pretty mcuh knoe where this story is going, but any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanx again to the reviewers. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Look for the next one in about a week! REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**where tears fall: Hey everyone! I'm so happy that so many people reviewed (or at least I consider it a lot of people)! Thank you all so much! I decided to update a few days early because I probably won't be able to update on Sunday. (very busy weekend) Have a happy President's Day and enjoy:**

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Chapter 4

Legolas awoke with a start. He tried to sit up, but found that when he tried his whole body filled with pain. His head ached and his ribs were on fire with every breath.

He laid back down against a tree, sqeezed his eyes shut, and desperately tried to remember what happened. In a sudden flash it all came back to him.

The wargs, the human, the fight.

Legolas subconsciously reached a delicate hand toward his hurting head and touched a bandage.

He shot his eyes open started with surprise at feel of the fabric against his fingers. He lifted up his tunic and found another bandage around his ribs. Legolas bit is lip and looked towards his leg where he found yet another bandage with crimson stains seeping through the fabric.

Some one had tended to his wounds and did not do a bad job by the looks of it.

The human! Legolas sat up again, wincing slightly at the pain his ribs caused him, at the thought of the man.

All of the sudden a wave of nausea and dizziness claimed him, and it took all of his energy to prevent himself from throwing up his lunch. He sat as still as possible with his eyes closed once again, and waited for uneasiness to pass.

Once the wave of nausea had passed, and his vision had cleared, he looked at his surroundings.

He was in a camp with a dying fire in the middle and some sort of bag lay across from it.

It was evident that the man was not there.

Legolas scanned the camp for his weapons. The sooner he got out of this place the better. Humans were tricky. This one would probably try to make him a slave or just kill him for the fun of it. He started to regret trying to help the man. What would his father say when he found out that he had been killed by a human!

He gulped at the thought.

A noise sounded through the woods, causing his ears to perk up slightly.

The human was returning. _I must escape now!_ He thought

The blond elf furrowed his brow and placed his hand on the tree for support.

He weary tried to get up with out injuring himself further. He laid his hand on the bark of the tree and gently pushed on his leg to stand up. As soon as he put pressure on his hurt leg, a searing pain ran through it, causing him to loose his balance and hit the ground with a thud. Legolas gasped for breath as the fire in his chest greatly intensified. He squeezed his blue eyes shut and prepared to push him self off the ground.

He could almost sense the human drawing nearer. _One... Two... Three..._

He pushed with all his might, hoping to make it into a sitting position.

"Hello there" a gruff voice said

Legolas in mid-push froze and shot his eyes open in surprise. He felt himself losing his balance and fell to the ground, yet again, with a painful grunt. Searing pain again found its way into his body.

"Let me help you." the voice said and Legolas felt strong arms pull him up and help him lean against a tree. He tried to pull away from the man's touch, but found him self too tired to do so.

Legolas kept his eyes closed and grudgingly opened them to see the man sitting on the other side of the camp shuffling through his bag.

The fair elf raised an eyebrow at the sight of the man that he could see now clearly through the night.

He had dark brown hair that loosely hung about his face, and grey eyes. His clothes were elven made and torn in some places, most likely from the wargs.

Legolas tried his best to not let the fear he felt in his stomach show on his face. He was almost helpless and at the mercy of a human! Instead he covered up his fear with the best 'come near me and I'll kill you' glare that he learned from his father. It seemed to have the desired effect because the human stayed at the other side of the camp, glancing back once, only to shrink away from the powerful glare.

Aragorn looked at the elf. The fair being had been staring at him of the past half and hour, with a glare that would almost top Elrond.

Aragorn continued to stir the tea that he was preparing. He put some herbs in it that would help numb the pain of the elf.

With one last ingredient, it was finished.

The human looked from the freshly made tea to the elf. The fair being had not said a word since he had awoken. He simply remained staring at him watching his every move with a deadly glare. Aragorn desperately wanted to say something to the elf, but did not know what he should say.

He needed to get the elf to drink the tea, but how was he going to do that when the elf would not even talk?

And that blasted glare! He could have sworn that the elf had captured his soul and was slowly burning it.

_Oh, Valar help me_ Aragorn thought to himself as he grabbed a cup full of tea and shakily stood up

The silence was eerie and the man knew he could not take much more of _the glare_.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving me.." Aragorn began, splitting the silence.

Aragorn watched a wave of confusion quickly pass over the blond elf's face, but just for a moment. The elf remained quiet still not letting up the glare. If anything, the glare intensified.

"My name is Strider." He said not prepared to tell the elf his real name for he still did not know who the elf was. He would be putting himself in huge jeopardy if the elf worked for the side of evil.

The blond remained silent and starring. He made no effort to move the fine hair that hung about his face.

The elf remained rigid up against the tree, not moving an inch. His stare was icy cold and searing hot at the same time, a unique combination that Aragorn had to give some credit to.

Aragorn grabbed the cup harder as to gain some invisible strength and reassurance from it and slowly proceeded towards the elf, as not to alarm him as he had done earlier.

Legolas remained starring, even as the man got up and headed his way. The elf remained still and looked frantically for some sort of weapon he could use against the man, being ever so careful not to show any weakness at all. He had been trying for the past half an hour to "stare" the man away or at least remain so still that maybe he would disappear into the tree, but neither choice seemed to be working.

The elf's head felt like a thousand dwarves were having a mining party in his skull and his ribs felt as though they were on fire, but he refused to show any discomfort to the human.

Aragorn neared and stopped a few feet from the elf.

"Would you like something to drink?" the human said.

The elf stared incredulously at the cup of dark liquid in the man's hands.

Aragorn took a step closer to the elf, while Legolas stiffened at this action.

"It will help with your pain." Aragorn stated trying his best to sound friendly.

He pushed the cup out further to the face of the blond, but the elf made no move, remaining completely rigid. Legolas continued to stare at the cup with scrutiny letting his eyes wander from the dark liquid to the human.

_It is most likely poison_ he thought

The blond elf did not make a noise, and tried his best to make himself seem more powerful than the man. Aragorn sighed again he and pondered about the elf.

_That's it! Oh why had I not thought of it before! The elf does not know how to speak common tongue!_

Although it was very unusual that one of the Eldar did not know how to speak the common tongue, Aragorn had no other idea what could be the matter with the elf.

"Would you like something to drink. It will help with the pain." Aragorn stated, this time in the grey tongue. The man gestured to the cup just in case the elf had further trouble understanding.

Legolas had heard him the first time, still confused at why the man would offer him a drink. Than it hit the elf. The human had just spoken in the grey tongue!

Legolas jumped up with a start and tried, unsuccessfully to back up further into the tree. _What type of man was this that knew how to speak the way of the elves?_

Aragorn sighed, as his grip on the cup hardened. He was tired of the little game that they were playing. He knew the elf understood him. Why wouldn't he answer him? If the elf wanted to be in pain than it was his fault. The human looked at the steaming liquid.

"

If you won't give me your name than I guess I shall have to call you Elf." Aragorn stated matter-of-factly, never looking up from the cup. He walked back to the other side of the camp, trying desperately not to show the pain he was feeling in his ribs, not caring to glance at the confused expression of the elf. He knew he was being extremely rude, and his adar would likely give him a lecture if he ever found out, but this elf was getting on his nerves. Who knew? The elf could be a conspirer to Mirkwood, or something worse.

"And if you want to be in pain I shalln't stop you." Aragorn stated, sounding like a mother talking to a naughty child.

Legolas watched with disgust as the human walked to the other side of the camp and plopped himself down by a tree. He needed to get out of here. He needed to get back to Mirkwood.

"What do you want of me?" Legolas said, trying his best to make his melodious voice sound harsh and commanding. The man froze from what he was doing and slowly looked up at the elf, seeming as if he looked to fast, the words might disappear.

Aragorn was shocked that the elf would suddenly talk. It took a moment for the words to register in his head.

"What do you want of me?" The fair haired elf repeated, trying his best to stop his voice from failing, clutching the hem of his tunic in an effort to remain calm.

Aragorn stood up from where he was sitting with all the gracefulness an injured man could have.

"I only wish for you to get better, Master elf, and then continue on my way." the man replied trying to hide his confusion at the question that seemed to materialize out of the blue.

The fair elf looked perfectly confused and the man felt a smile quriking at his lips.

"You aren't going to harm me?" Legolas replied more confused than ever. The elf looked like a hurt puppy with his great blue eyes softening.

At this Aragorn broke out into a full out laugh and probably would have rolled on the ground if it weren't for his injuries. Something about this statement the human thought was extremely funny. Legolas's eyes began to flash with anger

His gaze once again hardened as he watched the man turn slightly purple form laughing so hard.

The human continued laughing until he became keenly aware of a whole new glare the elf was giving him. He straightened himself up as best as he could, red cheeks shining brightly in the fire light..

"No, master Elf, I do not intend to _harm_ you." He said trying to suppress a chuckle.

Legolas mentally relaxed at this statement. For some reason, he believed that he could trust this human. After all, he did save his life. Legolas lessened his glare and replaced it with a thankful smile that the human returned in full.

"Now, would you like something for your pain." Aragorn said, holding out the cup in a friendly manner.

Legolas paused contemplating the question deeply. He still felt nauseous from his head injury, but the tea, if it was tea, would stop the burning in his leg and stomach…

Legolas looked towards the human and nodded a slow yes.

Aragorn looked like he had just been given a present as he rushed as fast as he could over to the elf and handed him the cup. The elf looked from the man's expectant eyes back down to the cup. The fragrance of the tea lofted up into his nostrils.

Legolas took a moment to stare at the bubbling concoction. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and looked pleadingly at the human. Aragorn nodded again towards the cup.

Legolas could feel the heat of the liquid through the cup he held in his thin hands. He shakily lifted the cup up to his lips and let them hover centimeters away from the tea. He closed his eyes and took a long sip. Legolas felt the warmth of the liquid running down his throat and did not notice how thirsty he had been till this very moment. The tea actually did not taste that bad at all.

Legolas pulled the cup away from his hands.

He looked up at the man's gleeful face and smiled.

Aragorn's smile grew even wider as he saw the elf smile at him.

"Hannon le" The elf said

"No need for thanks" Aragorn stated and made his way to the other side of the camp completely satisfied with his progress.

Aragorn searched through his pack till he found a package of bread.

"Are you hungry?" the man asked to the elf taking note of the way the blond slowly nursed the tea in his hands.

Legolas shook his head no and continued to take small sips of his tea.

Aragorn shrugged and began to barbarically eat the piece of bread.

Legolas still did not trust the human fully, but he could feel his defenses starting to break at the way the man barbarically ate the bread. The elf let a small laugh escape his lips, that did not go unnoticed by the man.

"What is so amusing?" Aragorn said, his voice coated in mirth.

"You." Legolas said, the same mirth twinkling in his blue eyes.

"I am glad you are feeling better mellon-nin." The man said and continued eating his food.

Legolas looked at the man with shock. The man had just called him his friend. Legolas smiled once again, this time letting it envelope his whole face. Humans were indeed strange creatures.

He once again stared into his tea as if it would give him some insight to this strange race.

The elf remained on one side of the camp pondering the man, while Aragorn remained in the other side, pondering the bread.

They sat that way, man and elf, each taking as much comfort as the other would allow from their company.

Legolas tired to remain hard, but inside, he was glad that he had met this human. He could not wait to tell his adar of this human that was not bad. Of course he would have to leave out the part of rescuing the man and the deadly fight with the wargs that could have killed him.

He felt a small smile spread across his face.

His father was famous for his temper, and probably would not appreciate the news.

Legolas let his thoughts take him to his home and only when he was sure the man had fallen asleep did he himself look at the stars and welcome his tired body to rest.

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**where tears fall: Did you like it? Review! Tell me if I need to edit some things or if you have any suggestions (or critisizims) at all. Anything will be helpful and greatly appreciated! REVIEW PLEASE!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR or any of the characters that are not of my own creation!**

**where tears fall: First off- thank you sooo very much to all who reviewed! You have no idea how much it means to me! Special thanks to all who reviewed all four chapters! You guys are great! Thranduil will make a stunning appearenece in this chapter- enjoy!**

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Chapter 5

King Thranduil sat in his room alone at his desk, reading specific papers about various issues. His face was lined with concentration, as he read each document thoroughly.

Suddenly, a frantic elf came bursting through the door to the study, panting slightly. "Your Majesty." the elf said as he quickly remembered his manners and bowed.

The King looked up from where he was reading, obviously not happy that he had been interrupted.

"A letter has just arrived for you labeled urgent." the messenger elf continued, backing up slightly at the face of the unhappy king.

He revealed a small letter hidden in his tunic and hesitantly placed it in the King's hand.

"Hannon le" The king said as he watched the elf bow slightly and briskly walk out of the room.

Thranduil held the letter in his hands for a moment before opening it, not at all prepared for what lay inside. The letter was short and Thranduil felt for the first time since his wife had died, fear and anger build up inside as he read it.

Thranduil could clearly feel his blood drain from his face.He placed the paper down at his desk and took a seat. The king raised a shaky had to his face trying to wish away what he had read. He closed his eyes and began to slow his heightened breathing.

_Why would he do this. He had nothing to do with this. _

Suddenly pure rage filled into him and he crushed the letter in his hand.

_He will pay for this..._

Despite Thranduil's rage, it was only a cover up for the fear he truly felt billowing up inside for his son. Legolas was a strong warrior, but did not stand a chance against this foe.

"Gadir!" he called, standing up suddenly.

"Yes sire?" a strong elf replied as he walked into the room, bowing once in front of his king.

"Where did this letter come from." the king gestured to the now crumpled paper in his hand. The elf must have noticed his kings now pale face, for his eyes glinted with worry.

"I believe it was carried by a bird that just left recently." Gadir replied.

The king strode out of the study at an alarming pace down the great halls his face like stone, with Gadir on his heels.

"Has my son returned yet?" the king asked Gadir, his voice not far from trembling, yet utterly commanding.

"No my Lord, was he due back early?" Gadir asked.

"No." the king said sternly, not looking at the worried elf.

"I want you to get your men and our fastest horses and search the forest for Legolas, be sure to check all of his favorite hunting areas." The King ordered.

"Sire, has something happened to the prince?" Gadir asked, concern written all over his face. Legolas was one of the gentlest elves in all of Mirkwood, if not the world, not to mention a prestigious warrior. Many a time the prince had brought home a wounded bird or cat, or in one case a frog. Th whole kingdom adored their prince and every one knew Thranduil would give anything for his son.

Every one also knew that if something were to happen to the prince, Thranduil would fade, leaving Mirkwood in a very susceptible situation. He was now nearly running to keep up with the king's strides as they passed the hallways.

"No, nothing has happened yet." the king replied, his words betraying his feelings.

"Now go." he said sternly

Gadir was hesitant to go, wanting to help the king who now looked completely torn apart on the inside, but he knew he must follow the king's orders, so he immediately went to the stables, left to contemplate the king's strange questions and behaviors himself.

Once Gadir had gone, Thranduil continued down a small hallway away from the main part of the castle. The King came to another room and began sifting through piles of papers at his desk. He stopped when he came to a tan piece of parchment. Thranduil sat down at the desk and let his face fall into his hands.

"Ai, what have I done." he murmured.

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Legolas awoke with a start and found a painful reminder of where he was and what had happened. The elf looked over the camp at the barely lit fire, and caught a glimpse of the human on the other side of the camp. It was almost dawn, and the first of the sun's rays filtered down upon his face, causing him to smile at the peace of the forest. It seemed more magical than ever in this light.

The serene of the forest was broken suddenly as a huge snarling noise appeared and the fair elf jumped slightly, darting his eyes around for the source of the distribution.

The fair being did not have to look far as he saw the man move slightly and let out another horrendous wail.

Legolas could not help but laugh.

"Humans and their snoring" he said softly to himself.

The man must have woken him up with his horrible snoring.

But something did not feel right.

There was an uneasiness that churned the elf's stomach causing him to look over the camp again, searching for something out of the unordinary. Everything seemed normal and just the way it had appeared the night before.

Legolas relaxed and took calming breath, mentally reputing himself for his suspicions and feelings.

Then he heard it. The elf had heard the sound many times before and instantly knew what it was.

Legolas straightened himself and strained his acute elven ears for proof that he was wrong.

Alas! He wasn't; they were coming, and many of the creatures by the sound of it.

The elf knew he had to wake the human and find his weapons. They needed their combined strength to fend off the quickly approaching creatures.

"Human!" he hissed, trying to keep his voice down, harboring hope that the creatures may pass them over with out realizing their presence, though he was more than highly doubtful.

"Human!" he hissed again sensing the fast approach of the creatures.

_What did the man call himself again?_ Legolas put a hand to his head and racked his brain for the name of the man.

"Trider, Lider, Rider, you must awaken!" he called again, voice stressed.

Legolas was overjoyed when the man began to shift, but it was short lived when he murmured

"ten more minuets ada..."

A scowl appeared in the elf's face and it took very once of self control not to ignore his hurting body and strangle the human.

No, Legolas decided, he _would_ strangle the human_ if _he ever woke up!

The sound of the creatures steady approach caused the elf to snap out of his mental picture of the human gasping for breath.

Legolas growled under his breath. He placed his hand on the trunk of the tree and tried for the second time since his injury to stand up. The elf braced himself as his hesitantly put his injured leg down to support some of his weight.

Surprisingly enough, his leg did not feel half as bad as it had previously. The searing pain was down to a dull throb. Legolas knew that elven healing caused him to heal faster than most other creatures, but never had he experienced such a dramatic change. It was then that he noticed his other injuries were feeling immensely better also. His head did not hurt at all except for a small tinge and he could breath with out his ribs hurting. _The human must have used some advanced healing herbs on me_ Legolas thought

The elf's gaze landed on the human and compassion shone in his eyes. A noise caused the fair being's head to dart to the side.

They were nearing.

Legolas grabbed a hand full of acorns from a tree branch. He silently thanked the tree and promised it that they would be put to good use.

The elf turned his attention back to waking the human.

"Wake. Up. You. Stubborn. Human." Legolas hissed between clenched teeth, expressing each word with a sharp throw of an acorn at the human.

The man continued to sleep seemingly unfazed by the rain of acorns near his body.

They had no more time.

The elf could almost picture the monsters crawling through the trees, headed towards their prey. Legolas clenched two last acorn in his hand and with all the power and strength his hurting body would allow pelted them at the man.

The acorns sailed though the air and hit the man square in the forehead, causing him to jump up with alarm. The elf nearly cried with glee that the man was awake. _Finally_.

"What was..." _yawn_ "that..." _yawn _"for..?" The man asked sitting up slowly. Aragorn's dark hair was tousled about his head in structure that only a human could posses.

The elf had to suppress a laugh at the two red spots that the human sported on his forehead. Legolas clenched his teeth and became serious again.

"Danger approaches. Where are my weapons?" the elf asked sternly looking back at the trees behind him for any sound of the creatures.

The man was snapped out of his dream state by the urgent sound of the elves voice. The blond elf was currently propped up against the tree, not the most comfortable position for him Aragorn supposed. Urgency shone clearly in his eyes.

Aragorn stood up quickly, wincing slightly at the pain the sudden movement had caused his ribs.

He went to a nearby bush and pulled out an elegantly crafted elven bow with arrows and two equally crafted elven knives. Relief clearly shone in Legolas's eyes at the sight of his weapons. The elf no doubt worried that the human had lost the tools or left them behind.

Aragorn wasted no time in retrieving his own sword and joining the elf on the other side of the camp. He handed the blond being the bow as the elf tried to find a comfortable way to shoot it.

The elf's keen eyes darted from tree to tree along the lightening sky. Aragorn did not have to be told to stay on guard as he uselessly tried to spot what the elf had. He held his sword in his hand, waiting for the attack, depending on the elf's eyes to see their enemy's approach.

An unmistakable screech was heard from the tops of the trees. Legolas had heard it numerous times before. The elf felt the man tighten at the sound. They were here. Legolas saw them advancing in the trees, circling their prey.

"What do you see?" the man whispered, distress coating his voice as he subconsciously took a step closer to the elf, observing how the blonde's eyes darted along the trees seeing something he could not see in this light.

Legolas strung his bow leaning upon the tree slightly for support trying his best not to wince from the pain it caused. His eyes lit up as he spotted a creature crawling unprotected on a tree.

"Spiders" he barley whispered as he let his arrow go, sailing dead on for its target.

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**where tears fall: the plot thickens...**

**sorry, another cliffie-sort of- Do you hate it? Love it? Don't care?- REVIEW anyways- I love everyone's input and any suggestions or critisizims (they don't even have to be constructive)at all are always loved! **

**There is more action to come in a week so those who love Legolas and Aragorn- keep on reading!**

**Thanks to all who read- REVIEW PLEASE!**


	6. Chapter 6

**where tears fall: Thanks to all the reviewers! It means so much to me tear sniffle- anyways chapter 6:**

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Silence hung in the air for an agonizing long second.

Then chaos erupted.

Huge spiders from all corners of the trees flung themselves at the man and elf.

Legolas struck down every spider that headed his way with his bow in a continuing rhythm. His expression was plain and seemingly unconcerned like it was usual for him to be attacked by many deadly spiders ready to poison their victims and suck their blood out. The only expression he held was in his eyes. It was composed of hatred and disgust.

Aragorn on the other hand was having a little more trouble.

He was frantically slashing down the onslaught of creatures with his blade, cringing every time he pulled his sword out of the abdomen of a dead spider. Fear was clear in every part of his face and eyes.

Spiders leapt from every direction and both Legolas and Aragorn knew full well that they could not go on like this forever.

Legoals was already feeling slightly dizzy, most likely form over-exertion after his injuries. His arms were growing tired and a familiar pain in his leg and ribs, which he was almost accustomed to was beginning to reappear.

The elf stole a quick glance at the human and observing the trouble he was having, quickly decided that they needed to leave this place.

"Human!" the elf called, while efficiently shooting another spider down.

"My name…" Aragorn paused to slash his blade at an oncoming spider.

"…is STRIDER!" the human called back bitterly, panting loudly. The man did not dare turn his back to face the elf, even for a moment. He clung to his sword loosely, surprised at his exhaustion from the slaying of the spiders.

_I do not think my ribs can hold on much longer._ Aragorn thought as he felt the pain herbs wearing off.

"Strider!" the elf called, irritation filling his voice. The blond gripped his bow tightly mentally figuring that he only had five arrows left use.

"Yes?" the human called back as he ripped through another arachnid, receiving a splatter of spider blood to add to his lovely collection on his cloak.

"We need to leave now!" Legolas called.

_Three more arrows left…_

"But I was just… starting …to have fun!" Aragorn said smiling at the groan from the elf. Even though he could not see the elf, Aragorn mentally pictured his face.

Legolas's usually thick patience was growing desperately thin with the human. He gritted his teeth in annoyance. The blonde felt so weak. His usually steady hands were trembling terribly, no matter how hard he wished them to stop.

_One more arrow…_

"There are more coming, we can't hold them off." He called back between his teeth. The very act of yelling to the human was tiring him greatly.

"Any bright ideas?" Aragorn called back, his voice still unusually light.

He turned towards the elf, just in time to see a spider in mid-air only a few feet away from his body. It seemed as though he was painfully stuck in time, his weak limbs unable to move as the spider neared.

_This is it…_ he thought as he franticly tried to make his unresponsive arm move the abnormally heavy sword to defend himself.

He had no choice but to wait for the impact.

But it never came.

An arrow sailed thought the spider, propelling it to the side. Aragorn's face was engulfed in shock as he turned to see the elf give him a wry smile and slide painfully down the tree in exhaustion.

New strength burned in the human as he ran towards the panting elf.

"Are you alright?" he asked the blonde when he reached the tree.

"Just give me a second." Legolas said while pressing his eyes closed. His blonde hair hung in a very undignified way around his face as he sat panting. He hated the human to see him like this…

So weak and helpless.

Aragiorn backed up towards the tree in a protective manner in front of the elf, his sword held out before him. His breathing was painfully hitched as he sought out the surrounding spiders.

A shrill whistle sounded thought the air, causing both man and elf to become rigid.

The spiders froze.

Another whistle sounded and the spiders scattered in a tangle of legs from their places back into the forest.

It was silent except for the labored breathing of the man and elf.

It seemed like an eternity before Aragorn dared to speak.

"What in Valor was that?" he whispered still rigidly placed in front of the blond being.

"I…I'm not sure." Legolas whispered back as he listened intently for any sound.

He could here the sound of the spiders retreating though the woods and soft sound of hooves on the forest floor.

"Someone approaches." Legolas whispered, as he attempted to stand once again. The sound of the hooves grew steadily as the horse and its rider approached.

A human on a horse appeared from the path and continued towards the strange sight of the blood- soaked man and elf. He wore a brown cloak and had wavy black hair that was slightly darker than his beard. The dark hair made his thin face seem unusually pale. He wore a small, elegantly crafted whistle around his neck on a string, that did not go unnoticed by Legolas.

The man stopped on the path and dismounted.

"Peace, my friends. I mean you no harm." He called to the duo.

Aragorn physically relaxed, letting his guard down at the sight of a fellow man. Legolas, on the other hand stiffened at the sight of two men in one day. He suppressed a shiver as he stared at this new man. His eyes darted from man to man, while trying to brush his thin hair over his delicately pointed ears.

The man, seeing that the two would not respond, the man continued.

"I heard the spiders and…" he held up the small whistle around his neck, "scared them off."

"If I had any idea that they were attacking anyone, I assure you, I would have arrived sooner." He continued giving a smile that chilled Legolas to the bone. He did not trust this human.

Aragorn sheathed his sword, hardly suppressing a smile of relief and luck of coming across this man.

"Thank you, we owe you our lives." Aragorn said bowing slightly as to not aggravate his tender ribs.

"I am Strider and this is…" he gestured to the blond elf with one hand. The lf didn't move or even blink, he just continued his scrutinizing gaze on the other human.

"This is…" Strider tried again to urge the elf to speak, though he highly doubted he would. After a few awkward moments Aragorn sighed and turned back to the man.

"This is my friend Findel." Strider continued.

The man raised an eyebrow at the strange name. Strider could feel the glare of the elf on his back. He could only imagine what was going through the fair-haired being's head.

"Well, Strider and …Findel, I urge you to come and accept some assistance from my camp. It is only a mile north from here." The man said, smiling.

Aragorn seemed to consider this for a moment, taking into consideration their wearied state and blood-stained clothes. Since, evidently, the elf wasn't talking, Aragron decided to make an executive decision for both of them.

"That would be much appreciated, thank you." Aragorn replied, feeling the elf tense behind him.

Legolas would have never before, accepted help from stranger, not to mention a camp full of men. But as the pain in his head and ribs grew, he started to consider that, just maybe, some hot food and warm fire wouldn't be so bad after all…

The strange man smiled at the acceptance of the offer.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I believe I have forgotten my manners. My name is Sadir." the man said with an eerie smile.

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King Thranduil sat in the dim-lit room of his study, his head in his hands. He pulled out the crumpled piece of paper out to read it for the hundredth time. His sad eyes went back and forth across the paper taking in the information that stroked the greatest amount of fear he had ever experienced.

_My dear friend King Thranduil,_

_It is with great regret that I write to you. It seems as though you did not appreciate my agreement that I offered you earlier. But, I have a feeling you will see it my way soon enough. You are an intelligent being, Thranduil. So full of wisdom and insight, much like your son. Legolas isn't it? Although, Legolas can be reckless sometimes. Like going on a hunting trip by himself. Mirkwood is a dangerous place these times. It would a shame if something… "unfortunate" were to happen to the crown prince of Mirkwood on his trip._

_Think about my offer._

_Sincerely,_

_Sadir _

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**where tears fall: dun dun dun... What will happen next?- any suggestions, critisizims-do you like it? love it? want to hang me by my thumbs?- If so I'll see what I can do for you, but it would be fairly hard to hang my self by my thumbs. Let's see, I would need rope and then someone to tie my thumbs together...**

**anyways, thanks for all the reviews, I sort of had a hard time writing this chapter- tell me if I'm slacking!**

**more to come!**


	7. Chapter 7

**where tears fall: OMG! I am soo sorry! let me just say I have the most wonderful excuse for not updating yesterday. But I'm sure you don't want to hear it, so I will skip all the yata yata and say "go on with the story" sorry again and thanks for the reviews! they make me happy!**

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They rode through the woods in silence. Legolas or "Findel" rode quietly on Sadir's horse, trying his best to fight the pain and sit upright.

It had been a struggle to convince Legolas to ride the horse. The elf could walk, but Sadir had insisted on Legolas riding on his horse. He had bluntly refused the first time, earning an angered look from Aragorn. When Sadir insisted the second time, Aragorn took the opportunity to claim that he was a healer and it would be the best fro his leg if he rode.

With a silent growl, Legolas agreed, and now sat as proudly as possible on top of the stallion.

The blond elf gave another glance to the dark human. He still did not feel well about the man. The trees told him of trouble, but were painfully unclear on what and where. The man had been smiling ever since Legolas had seen him.

Always a wide a clear smile that sent chills down his spine. No one could be that friendly. The elf glanced on the other side of him at Strider, who seemed to be contemplating something very deep, for he kept his eyes in a stare fixed on the ground in front of him.

Legolas knew when there was trouble, and right now, all of his senses were screaming at him that something was desperately long.

His thoughts were interrupted by the slick voice of Sadir.

"Master Findel, tell me, were do you come from?" Sadir fixed his beady eyes on Legolas's clear blue ones and added a stretched smile.

Legolas did not answer, but continued staring into the man's eyes. He could feel his insides turn at the man's gaze.

And then there was that name _Findel_. He would just have to kill Strider for that one. Findel didn't even make any sense. He could have chosen something more elf-like or at least more graceful. But no. He had chosen Findel.

"Do you come from Mirkwood?" the man asked, never lessening his ever growing smile.

Legolas clenched his teeth. "I believe that better question would be where do _you_ come from."

Aragorn sharply looked at Legolas. Of course he did not trust Sadir. In fact, the man made his insides turn for one reason or another, but the man was giving them shelter and a place to stay.

"Fair enough." Sadir replied with a small chuckle, shaking his head.

The man looked up and his smile returned again when he saw a small clearing through the trees.

"Here we are. Now that wasn't a long walk was it?" he asked more to Aragorn than Legolas.

They entered a fairly large camp with several men scattering about. There were a few flaming fires dotted around the camp with a scruffy looking men huddled around them.

Legolas cringed at the sight of all the dirty men. They seemed even worse than Strider and Sadir. Every bit of common sense was screaming at him to leave. Nearly all the men in camp had large beards and shaggy looking hair, an obvious sign of hygiene neglect.

Legolas's acute nose crinkled at pungent smell of the pack of unclean men.

At the sight of the new comers, the men in the camp froze from workings and loud laughing lowered to a low rumble. Their eyes were fixed not on their leader, but the blond elf on top of their leader's horse.

They seemed to narrow their eyes at the scene, which did not go unnoticed by Legolas or Aragorn. The elf reflexively moved his hands towards his bow.

The camp had become silent, tension thick in the air.

Sadir seemed to sense this.

He nonchalantly walked up to a large, brown haired man, who swiftly stood up out of respect.

"Dater, my friend, I would lie you to accommodate our guests with a nice place to stay." He motioned to the stunned man and elf, adding another slick smile, which Legolas had more than begun to loathe.

Legolas painfully slipped off the horse, trying his best to hold his dignity in front of the staring men.

"It seemed that they had run into some spider problems." Sadir continued laying an arm around Dater.

"They are very exhausted and I'm sure would appreciate some rest."

"Make sure they are taken care of." Sadir added.

Dater looked almost shocked at this statement, before he straightened out and motioned for the man and elf to follow him.

Aragorn looked hesitantly at Legolas who returned the uncertain stare before they both continued after Dater.

Legolas erected himself as best as he could, letting his blond hair fall down across his back, ignoring the stares and sneers from the men.

"I do not think we should stay long. I have a bad feeling." Legolas whispered to Aragorn, never taking his eyes off the men surrounding them.

"I would be lying if I told you that I did not also feel bad about this." Strider whispered back, seriousness drenching his voice.

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A gruff-looking man walked up to Sadir while starring at the two beings in the distance.

"What the hell is going on?" he whispered to Sadir, his scratchy voice matching his appearance perfectly.

"Patience my dear friend. Patience. You see it is much easier to have the elf cooperate with us, than try to control him. For now at least."

"I thought you said we could have the elf!" the man growled.

Sadir smiled calmly. In an instant the man was painfully on the ground, a knife to his throat, held by Sadir.

"Now, listen and listen close. We will all get a chance at the elf, but we must wait. Are we clear?" Sadir said silently, pressing the knife closer to the man's neck, drawing a small trickle of blood.

"Crystal." The shaking man gasped out. Sadir smiled and stood up, dusting off some dirt.

"But what about the man?" The man asked shakily, flinching when Sadir turned sharply.

"We will take care of that soon, just do your job." Sadir snapped out.

The man cowered in fear in front of the man.

"Now, let's go and make our guests comfortable." Sadir said, adding a slick smile.

_Ah yes, this will be fun..._

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**where tears fall: I know sort of boring sort of short. **

**Grrrrr... The next one will be so much better, please give me another chance! I promise it willl be better!**

**At this very moment there is a herd of people out side my house demanding my thumbs! (and I'm pretty sure someone who wants my head)**

**If you would like to hear my wonderful excuses, just press the purple button and tell me or just tell me how bad this chapter was! I'm not afraid to be burned at the stake! **


	8. Chapter 8

**where tears fall: Hey everyone! I am so surprised at all the reviews I am getting! well, I really don't want to delay so: here is the next chapter:**

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It was morning the next day when Legolas's sensitive ears picked up the sound of people moving about the camp. He opened his blue eyes wearily and scanned the surrounding area. 

After they had arrived at the camp, they were offered warm food and plenty of water. Legolas had been hesitant to take the food and only after the others started eating, did he take a bite.

Once the food had been happily consumed, Aragrin, much to Legolas's chagrin, cleaned the elf's wounds and wrapped them with new bandages.

A moan form the side altered the blond elf of Strider just waking up. Legolas could not help a smile pass his face at the man. It was true that at first he had not trusted this human at all, but now he felt that Strider may even be considered one of his friends.

He could just imagine what his father would say 'Friends with a HUMAN! Have you gone mad Legolas?'

The blond elf pushed back a strand of golden hair. Maybe he had gone mad…

He was an elf stuck in the middle of a camp of filthy humans! He pressed a hand to his temple and was surprised to find that his head no longer throbbed. The elf quickly unwrapped the cloth that adorned his forehead, that made him look like an invalid, and touched the tender part of his bruise.

It was nearly gone.

The herbs that the human was giving him must have enhanced his elven healing abilities. _But how could a human have access to such elvish herbs?_

"Good morning!" the rough voice of Strider echoed.

The human looked over at his elven companion and the perplexed look on his fair face.

"I trust you are feeling better." Strider said while motioning to the cloth the elf held in his hands.

The fair being turned slowly to him, his look of shock turning into a contagious grin.

"Yes, thanks to you. Hannon lee." He said, sincerity shinning through above all other emotions.

There was a moment when neither being talked. It was a moment of understanding between both creatures. A moment of peace.

Aragorn smiled widely before grabbing his bag lying next to him.

"I think it would be best if we left soon. That is, if you are feeling better." The human glanced at the elf just in time to catch a look of relief cross the blonde's face. Strider was almost as anxious as the elf to leave the camp. The small comfort that he had gotten by the presence of Sadir, evaporated as soon as they set foot inside the camp.

Legolas didn't question the "we" that the human used. Over the past days a bond, even though small and held together by fear of strangers, had formed between the human and elf.

"I believe my leg is well enough to use." Legolas replied while attempting to stand up. His leg gave him no more than a slight twinge of pain when he out pressure on it. Much improved from the night before, and not nearly as serious as some other injuries he had endured.

"Good, than let's be off." Aragorn replied, hoisting his pack on to his shoulder. The pain in his side had almost completely disappeared.

He looked at his companion.

They both still had on their clothes, stained with a combination of spider and their own blood.

It would be quite a hilarious sight to a passerby.

"Are you leaving so soon?" the slick voice of Sadir asked, chilling Legolas to the bone.

They both turned slowly to the black-haired human. The whole camp had become quiet and wide eyes, filled with surprise and anxiety, fixed themselves on the elf and human.

"We believe it would be best to be on our way now. Thank you for your hospitality." Aragorn stated in the most sincere voice he could muster, while accenting his words with a bow. He didn't wait for 'Findel' to say anything as he turned and continued out of the camp.

They were near the edge of the camp when two burly men, harboring large swords, stepped out, blocking the exit.

Legolas immediately tensed and let his hand wander to his own sword. He glanced toward Aragorn, who must have been thinking the same thing, for his hand was on the hilt of his sword also, ready to strike if the men made a wrong move.

"Now, insist. Stay." Sadir cooed. The human gave a nod to the two men. They smiled, an evil glint in their eyes, as they advanced on the elf and human.

Legolas was aware of a few other men coming from behind them.

Aragorn and Legoals both unsheathed their swords, and prepared for the attack.

It came from behind.

But Legolas was ready. With a flash of steel and a clank of metal, Legolas spun quickly and met his attacker with his sword.

The blond easily dispelled the man's weapon and swiftly knocked him out with the hilt of his sword.

Before the man had hit the floor, another attack came from both sides.

In one graceful movement, he was able to run one man through with his sword, while jutting out his elbow and connecting solidly with the temple of the other man.

Both humans slumped to the floor in strange unison, joining their companion on the dirt floor.

Legolas turned quickly to face his next adversary, when the chilling sound of Sadir's voice erupted from the crowd.

"Stop!"

Legolas froze, as did the surrounding humans. He turned slowly, completely alert for any on coming attack.

There was a line of humans, Sadir smiling widely in the middle. He turned to a kneeling figure on the ground.

Legolas's eyes widened as he identified the figure as Strider. The brown-haired human held a look of defiance in his eyes, even with three swords held firmly at his neck.

Sadir turned to Legolas, pleased to see the evident worry in the elf's eyes.

"Throw down your weapons." Sadir called while gesturing to the knives at Aragorn's throat. "Or else…" He didn't need to finish. Legolas knew.

He grasped his sword harder till his knuckles turned white. Legolas's eyes scanned the area in one quick motion, trying to figure out his options.

He could try to escape. It would be fairly hard, but if he was able to reach the trees at the side of the camp, than he could make it to safety. But Strider would almost certainly be killed if he made a run for it.

His feelings churned inside of him, his mind pulling at him to run and get away. He was just a human…

But his gut; his heart, told him to stay and try to save Strider. The human did save his life… Legolas looked at Strider, whose eyes were filled with fear, but attempted to mask it with a 'save your self' look.

With a sigh the blond unsheathed his other sword and released his grip, letting both weapons fall to the ground with a clank of metal that echoed through the camp.

Sadir let a resounding laugh echo as two men came up behind Legolas and roughly grabbed him by the arms.

"Not so strong now, littl' elf, are ya'?" one of the men sneered at Legolas, while brutally, pushing him forward.

Legolas clenched and unclenched his fists, willing his mouth not to reply with a smart retort. It would only make it worse.

Another man came forward and flicked the delicate tip of Legolas's ear to mock him.

The elf pulled back his head and gave the man a death stare. The man moved back from the blond, obviously afraid.

Legolas was led, or more like dragged, to the place where Aragorn was kneeling. Legolas didn't look directly into the man's eyes, knowing that he would get a harsh look of disapproval.

He was cruelly shoved on his knees, the men obviously knowing that his leg was hurt. The pain in his leg sprang up, but not hard enough for the elf to show only a shadow of discomfort in his eyes.

He was now side by side with Strider on his knees, staring up into the disgustingly joyful eyes of Sadir. Legolas conjured up the coldest stare he could provide, focusing solely on Sadir.

The men around him staggered back a few steps, some how wounded by the glare form the elf.

But Sadir's smile only deepened as he stared into Legolas's eyes.

He firmly grasped Legolas by the chin, forcing him to stare deep into his black eyes.

"I believe it is rude for a guest to leave without informing the host."

Legolas narrowed his blue eyes, which had turned as cold as ice.

"I believe it is rude for a host to prevent a guest from leaving." He spat.

Sadir's smile slowly faded into a look of disgust. He removed his grip on Legolas's chin and in one swift movement slapped him hard across the face. The elf's head shot to the side from the force of the blow.

The blond didn't see it coming. And even if he did, he was helpless to stop it.

Another hit form the other side, caused his head to snap back the other way.

Pain shot up and down his head as he tasted the coppery tang of blood in his mouth. Legolas felt dizzy and unstable as felt a dribble of blood run fro his cut lip, made by the second blow.

_That is going to leave a bruise…_

"Don't touch him!" Aragorn growled, much to the surprise of Sadir and Legolas.

Sadir turned his gaze upon the human on his knees. His dark eyes met Aragron's in the same way they had met Legolas's. He swiftly kicked Aragorn in the stomach, causing the man to double over in pain.

Sadir, satisfied with the pain of the two beings, Sadir called out to a grinning Dater.

"Tie those up, and make sure they can't get lose. We have work to do…"

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**where tears fall: ooo... I didn't see that comming...**

**(actually, I did)**

**Poor legolas, I love him, I really do;) **

**well tell me what you think, more suspense to come!**

**thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**where tears fall: I' m soo very sorry! I have a very good excuse for not updating yesterday! You see, I tried to submit my document, but it kept on doing this "Request Timeout" thing. I'm not sure what causes it, but if anyone could enlighten me, it would be much appreciated!**

**Anyways- thanks so much to all my reviewers! To those of you who are evil and wanted it, there will be more Aragorn and Legolas hurting later. (I know, I'm bad...)**

**Those of you who I owe a cookie, well... maybe you will just have tosettle with another chapter!**

**on with the chapter!**

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_

_Thump._ His head hurt. _Thump._ His ribs hurt. _Thump. _His leg hurt. _Thump. _And a very

large troll was banging on his temple in an annoying constant beat. _Thump._

From far away he heard a small voice, calling out to him. "Elf." _Thump. _

He struggled to open his eyes, but found them unnaturally glued shut. It was most

likely that human, he figured. _Thump._

He knew that Strider was nothing but trouble.

"Elf." The voice called softly. _Thump._

He should have never helped that human. Now he was… Well, he didn't quite remember where he was… But he was somewhere with a troll and easy access to glue. _Thump._

"ELF!" a voiced boomed across his mind, shattering all thoughts before.

He squeezed his eyes tight and sucked in a deep breath.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME?" the voice of the man boomed again, causing Legolas to cringe. Why did every human feel the need to yell?

"Human, the orcs in Mordor can hear you." Legolas replied softly, finally opening up his bleary blue eyes to look about his surroundings.

He attempted to move his arms, but found them tightly bound behind his back with course rope that but into his skin. His torso was tied tightly to the tree behind him, restricting his breathing.

The elf glanced to the side to find Strider in the same predicament on the tree next to him.

Legolas sighed. He racked his brain for some sort of memory of what happened.

He remembered Sadir. And then…

Realization struck him hard as he recalled Sadir's men and the little "talk" they had. And being pulled away.

The last thing the elf remembered was being tied up by a burly (very stinky) man, and a rather large boot coming towards his head. Then…

The blond looked around the camp. The men seemed to be, besides casting evil glances toward the two captives, just sitting around and waiting. _For what?_

"I'm glad you are awake." The voice of Strider registered in his head again. Legolas sharply turned to face his companion, regretting it when pain split up his head. _At least the troll had stopped pounding…_

The man was slightly paler before and looked about as comfortable as he felt. His hair and clothes were disheveled, and he was sporting a cut lip that Legolas did not remember seeing before.

Aragorn recognized the worry in the elf's eyes from his father and brothers. It was the same look that he had been given all his life, whenever he had gotten into trouble. A look composed of a mix of worry, scrutiny, pity, reprimanding, and a dash of ice, just for good taste. It was amazing how well this elf could copy that look…

"How are you feeling?" Aragorn whispered, now fully aware of dirty looks from the men.

"Fine." Legolas lied.

Aragorn raised an eyebrow at the statement. The elf did not look "fine". In fact, he looked like a very large animal used him as a chew toy. There were two fairly big bruises that were steadily gaining color on each of his cheeks. A cut adorned his lip and forehead.

Aragorn was also certain that the elf's ribs were bruised further from how the blonde's breathing was slightly labored. Elves always had to be so stubborn…

Legolas twisted his hands in attempt to untie the knot, but only succeeded in cutting his already tender wrists. There was no way that he would be able to untie the knot unless the tree was somehow concealing a dagger underneath its dark bark.

"The knots are too tight." Aragorn stated flatly.

Legolas looked up, giving a death stare to the human, who, in return, ignored the elf, and mumbled something about arrogant humans.

"I wonder what they want from us." Aragorn said, more to himself than the blond.

Legolas tensed. He wasn't sure what Sadir was us up to, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. The elf was extremely thankful that he had nothing on him that could identify him as the prince of Mirkwood. It would not only endanger him, but also his kingdom and the people of Mirkwood. And he would die before he let that happen.

"It doesn't make any sense!" Aragorn continued. He was getting aggravated.

"Valor! If they wanted to kill us, they should have done it long before now!"

Legolas gave Strider a sharp look as he saw Sadir and Dater approach, an evil glint in their eyes.

Sadir stopped in front of the two trees, smiling slickly. "It seems our guests are enjoying their stay." He said to Dater, who cracked his knuckles in agreement.

Legolas narrowed his eyes as Aragorn followed. "Enough games. What do you want with us, Sadir?" Legolas spoke smoothly, blue eyes icy cold.

Sadir took a few steps forward and leaned over, so he was only mere inches from the elf's face. His hot breath spread across the fair elf's face.

"Me? Games? Why I think you are the one playing games 'Findel'." He whispered so softly that Aragorn strained to hear what was being said.

"You see, I know who you are…" he continued.

Sadir grasped the top of Legolas's head, entangling his fingers in the elf's golden blond hair. He pulled sharply, erecting a small grunt of pain from Legolas.

"Your father must be terribly worried." Sadir said a little louder than before, tugging back on Legolas's hair once again.

Legolas tried not to show the panic he felt in his heart. Sadir knew. He knew all along.

"But, have no fear. I will show him that you are alive, for now." Sadir sharply let go of his vice grip on Legolas's hair and reached a hand out to a grinning Dater.

Dater soon produced a knife and gave it to Sadir.

"Now let's see… What shall I send to your dear father…" he said while pacing, tauntingly in front of the elf.

Legolas kept his gaze, following Sadir around with icy eyes.

Sadir's eyes lit up in a mischievous glint.

"How about a finger. Or better yet, an ear." He stated placing the knife threateningly under the fair being's ear. Legolas refused to twitch or show any sign of discomfort. He would not show weakness to this human, even when Sadir ran a finger around the delicate tip of his ear.

The cold metal grazed over his fair skin, yet Legolas did not struggle. He remained still, as if a statue, eyes cold and powerful, much to Sadir's annoyance.

Sadir narrowed his gaze at the elf. He reached out and grabbed a lock of long blond hair.

In one swift movement, he swept the blade across the lock cutting it off. He grasped the hair in his hand and smiled cruelly.

"If your father does what he is told, you will not be harmed, _much_."

"But I can not guarantee that about your little friend." He said inclining his head over to Aragorn.

"So, you be a good little elfling, and things won't have to get messy." Sadir said while patting Legolas lightly on the cheek.

"I will enjoy killing you." Legolas said with such coldness in his voice that Aragorn actually shivered inwardly.

Sadir narrowed his eyes and brought his foot into the elf's stomach. Pain shot through his body. Air refused to enter his lungs. _Why does this always happen?_

After what seemed to be an eternity, sweet oxygen finally entered into his deprived lungs.

Sadir smiled and relished the pain he was causing. Aragorn shifted in his bonds grinding his teeth with anger. He desperately wanted to say something, but feared it would only cause more trouble for his elven companion.

"It seems as though our guests do not appreciate our offer. Dater, keep them company while I am gone." Sadir said while turning swiftly on his heel and disappearing into the camp.

Dater smiled broadly at this, like a child with a new found toy.

He walked up to the human and elf while cracking his knuckles.

"We're going to have some fun aren't we'?" he said with a new sparkle of evil slipping in his eyes.

Dater stood there, in front of the two captives, cracking his knuckles and grinning.

Both Legolas and Aragorn stared at the burly man in front of them, both thinking the same thing. _This is going to be a long day…_

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**where tears fall: well that wasn't too bad now was it? (That is not a rhetorical question so if you would like to answer it, it would make me happy)**

**tell me if you like it- tell me what i need to improve- just tell me anything, I love hearing form readers!**

**have a nice day!**


	10. Chapter 10

**where tears fall: Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I really appreciate them!- a special thanks to Lyn for her reviews and critisizims! Well, here is the next chapter:**

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Legolas rolled his eyes at the idiotic grin on the man's face. He continued cracking his oversized muscles in attempt to frighten his two captives. Dater's eyes traveled from Legolas over toward Strider and paused at the human.

The fair elf immediately knew what that meant.

Dater wasn't allowed to critically injure him, for they needed him. But it seemed as though he was allowed to hurt Strider, for he was expendable.

Legolas tried to gulp down the dry feeling in his throat. He couldn't let Strider get hurt. It was Legolas' fault that they were in this mess in the fist place. The humans wanted him. Strider should have never been apart of this…

Legolas sucked in a tight breath, causing a streak of pain to shoot through his ribs. He wouldn't let the human, his friend, be punished.

So Legolas did the one thing that he knew how to do best while being helplessly tied to a tree: use his mouth.

"Look, if you plan on torturing us then, by all means continue standing there and your stench shall kill us within the hour." Legolas remarked with an air of annoyance in his voice.

Dater's gaze turned sharply from Strider to Legolas. He clenched his fists into a ball as he stomped over to Legolas. The fair haired elf noticed how the human's tan face had turned an unusually dark shade of red and how his breathing was now caught in between his teeth.

Aragorn was completely stunned.

_Why would the elf do that?_

He was basically asking to be beat. The chastising look he gave the elf was lost on the fair being as he switched into 'glare' mode.

Dater moved closer and rammed his fist into the elf's stomach, smiling greatly when Legolas feebly gasped for breath.

Pain racked his already weakened ribs, wrapping itself securely around his middle. Legoals closed his eyes in attempt to block out the pain, but mostly to prevent himself from crying out.

Before Legoals had regained his first breath, another painful blow was cruelly offered to his ribs and then his face, creating a pounding sensation that echoed through his body.

Dater was definitely stronger than he appeared, which was _very_ strong.

Aragorn's eyes widened in realization at what the elf had done.

The elf was trying to protect him…

_No. _He didn't need protection (despite what his brothers and father had said).

He didn't need someone to look after his every move.

He was grown now and could easily defend himself.

Aragorn ground his teeth together with a new energy that flowed through him.

He would not let the let 'Findel' suffer in attempt to protect him.

"I disagree. We would first die of his hideous appearance."

Aragorn said, smiling at the elf who gave him the same exact look that he had given the elf only a few minutes before.

Dater turned on his heel, his face now slightly purple, as he made his way over to Aragorn, temporarily forgetting about the blond elf.

"Why do you have to make it hard on yourselves?" Dater growled out.

The question was obviously rhetorical, yet Aragorn was tempted to answer.

Dater jammed his fist into Aragorn the same way he had done to Legolas, this time letting it linger there longer before pulling back and striking again at his face.

Aragorn's mind was swimming with the last hit, but not enough that he could not feel the intense pain shooting, through what seemed like, his whole body.

Legolas pulled at his bonds; ignoring the pain it caused his ribs and leg.

"Why are you doing this?" he croaked out in attempt to stop Dater from attacking again.

This seemed to catch the burly human's eye as he turned slowly to Legolas.

Dater was clearly fuming now, and is he was to get any redder, the elf was certain that smoke would flow out of his ears.

"Why? Why?" Dater's eyes were wild as he stomped up only inches away from Legolas and crouched down to meet the elf in the eyes.

"Because you and your despicable kind ruined our lives." Dater spat.

Legolas could only stare, blue eyes shinning, and muster a small, confused, "What?"

"All of us here had real lives with wives and children." Dater said while gesturing to the men sitting lazily around the camp.

"We had a little town, not too far from here, and our lives were great." He said gently while staring up into the clouds as if, somehow, they were helping him tell the story.

Legolas noticed how Dater's voice had quieted considerably, and how it was drenched with grief and sorrow for a time not long ago. He face had softened and his eyes were yielding.

And for a moment, just a moment, Legolas thought he might have seen a tear grow in the man's eye…

But as soon as it had appeared, it ended and Dater whirled back around, his face now raging with anger.

"But you and your elven companions came in during the night." He said, pointing his finger accusingly in Legolas.

"Your vile race came, when were where gone, and destroyed our village, killing everyone and burning it to the ground!"

Legolas's jaw dropped. His eyes widened. "No…"

"Yes! You killed our families." His voice was cruel and sad at eh same time.

"Now, we are going to give all of your kind what they deserve. We will show no mercy, just like you showed none." Dater said, strongly cupping Legolas's chin in his hand.

His eyes burned with the fire for revenge. His grip did not betray his feelings. And Legolas knew that if Dater was allowed to, the human would kill him in an instant.

But there was no way that any group of elves would attack a harmless village and kill all the inhabitants. There was just no reason unless the village was threat, or the elves were attacked.

But even then, the elves would not kill every one. Certainly not the women and children.

Legolas's mind was turning; there was no possible way…

"Who…Who told you this?" Legolas croaked out.

Dater released his grip on Legolas's chin making sure to do it in a way to aggravate his split lip.

He turned around and cupped his hands behind his back, as if to gain the composure he never had.

"Not that it is any of your business, _elf_, but Sadir was the one who positively identified the arrows as elven." Dater stated in a way that suggested that Sadir was the wisest of the group. And by the look of the other men around the camp, he probably was.

Legolas took this chance to glance at Strider.

Aragorn gave a knowing look, confirming that he was thinking the same thing the elf was:

Sadir most likely had lied to get the men angry at the elves.

But then came the question that had been in Legolas's mind every since he had found out about Sadir: _Why?_

"But I don't understand why he needs you, _elf._" Dater spat, still turned away form Legolas and Aragorn.

"I mean, what makes you so special?" he said quietly.

Legolas nearly cried out with relief. Dater had no idea that he was Legolas, crown prince of Mirkwood.

But relief was quickly replaced with worry. Dater would most likely soon find out, and when that happens, things would get very ugly…

Legolas turned his head slowly to Strider, causing another strand of golden hair to fall into his face.

He would have to tell Strider soon. The human deserved to know. He just hoped Strider was smart and would not turn on him…

"Dater!" The voice of Sadir echoed throughout the camp. Legolas didn't miss how all of the men straightened at the sound.

Dater turned and gave a look to the captives that said 'you got off easy this time' and stomped off through the camp, leaving the two bewildered captives to themselves.

oooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooo

King Thranduil sat at his desk head in the familiar position in his hands, letting his golden hair spill over his shoulders.

A knock at the door caused the king to look up as a small elf entered the room. The elf bowed slightly at the presence of his king.

"Any news on my son?" Thranduil said while standing up abruptly.

"No, my king." The small elf said. Thranduil's face fell considerably as he sat back down into his chair.

"But there is message that has just arrived for you." The elf said handing a small letter to Thranduil.

The small elf left the king to his privacy as Thranduil continued to stare at the letter, dreading what may lie inside. He hesitantly slid open the envelope and pulled out he piece of parchment inside.

The king's heart dropped when a small lock of golden hair fell from the letter on to his desk. He didn't need to inspect it closely to see that it was his son's. Thranduil grasped the golden lock and turned once again to the letter.

Summing up the strength that he assumed left his body when the letter was opened, he read:

_My dear King Thranduil,_

_It seems as though I have encountered your dear son. Do not be troubled. He will be returned to you with his human friend relatively unharmed as long as you follow my wishes. On the contrary, if you do not do as I say, I can not account for what may happen to him…_

_You know what I desire. I will deliver more information to you soon. _

_Sincerely,_

_Sadir_

Thranduil could not help but let his head slide down into his arms as his tired blue eyes filled with unshed tears.

He did not even consider the remark about the "human friend".

His son was in the hands of a mad man. And if he did not do as he asked, Legolas- his son, the one thing that Thranduil loved more than anything, would die…

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**where tears fall: whoa... things are not looking good for those two... (he he ) :)**

**anyways- review and tell me what you think! thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**where tears fall: Hello again! and thank you to all who reviewed! It is alway nice to hear from people with critisizims and suggestions!**

**sadly though, there will not be any cookies-- (evidently slice and bake burn easily)...**

**anyways here is the next chapter! cheer - oh, and happy Palm Sunday!**

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Chapter 11

It was dark. The moon filtered slowly through the dark clouds above on to the two captives, illuminating their faces.

Aragorn sighed, sparing a glance at the elf before returning his thoughts to what his mind had been fixed on all day: Escape.

He had been racking his brain for the past few hours on how he could escape, and through those few hours he had come up with absolutely nothing.

A smell of cooked meat invaded his nostrils for not the first time that night. Aragorn rested his head back against the trunk of the tree in attempt to block out the scent. A small gurgle form his stomach proved to him what he had known for a while…

He was hungry. The last time he had been offered any thing to drink or eat was almost twenty four hours ago. His stomach protested again as he licked his dry lips.

On top of all that he still had next to no idea what Sadir was up to, or why the human had even captured the elf and him in the first place. _Speaking of the elf…_

Aragorn glanced over at his blond friend, who seemed to be in the same position that he had been all night. In fact, the elf hadn't even struggled with his bonds or moved his head to the side for hours. Aragorn almost expected that he was asleep, but had no idea how he could have fallen asleep in their current situation.

The human inhaled a deep breath. He had no idea what the elf was doing, or even what he was doing.

All he knew was that he needed an escape plan and, at this particular moment, had none.

oooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooo

Legolas had the perfect escape plan.

But, he would need Strider's help. The elf had been closely watching all the men around the camp and what they had been doing, which, up till now, had been nothing.

The fair elf watched, through anxious blues eyes, the men falling into a deep slumber one by one. Now there was only one man left.

The skinny and rather disturbed looking man was obviously on guard for the prisoners and sat on a short stump not far form the two captives.

His dark eyes slowly surveyed the two beings closely, making sure nothing was amiss. At the beginning of his shift the man had been annoyingly attentive to the prisoners, moving his hand to the hilt of his sword with each move they made.

But now, with the sun well sunken below the horizon, and the normally noisy bustle of the men in the camp turned to silent breathing, Legolas could tell that the man's attention was waning.

The elf was waiting… Legolas knew, from what Dater had said, that these men were not necessarily accustomed to keeping prisoners and most likely had no experience with keeping guard. That's what the elf's plan depended on…

The guard shifted slightly before moving off his tree stump and sitting on the ground so that could remain sitting, but with his head leaned up against the trunk, to make it more comfortable.

Legolas inwardly smiled as the man's eye lids began to drop slightly. The elf remained still, not moving an inch, in order to not alarm the man.

The guard stirred slightly as if fighting a silent battle between his mind and body. But in the end, his body won out as the man's eyes dropped all the way and finally closed.

Legolas held his breath for a second, scared that the slightest sound might awaken the man. After a few seconds he let his breath go, taking one last glance around the camp to make sure that all the men were indeed asleep.

The soft sound of snoring drifted across the camp, confirming Legolas' wishes. The only ones unaccounted for were Dater and Sadir, who the blond had not seen since Dater was abruptly called away.

The blond took a steadying breath and closed his bright blues eyes. It was now or never…

Legolas looked to Strider, who seemed to be in deep thought.

"Strider." Legolas hissed softly.

Aragorn's head shot over to the elf, his bright eyes confused and slightly annoyed.

"What?" he whispered back, now seeing that the whole camp was asleep.

"I have a plan to get us out, but you have to remain as quiet as possible." Legolas whispered back in a pleading manner.

Aragorn only nodded his dark head in understanding.

With that over, Legolas focused his attention on his savior and item of escape:

A cloak.

To be exact, a cloak that was carelessly discarded only a few feet out of Legolas's reach. The cloak itself may have not bee that important, but the shinny, sharp-edged broach adorning the side of the cloak was.

If Legolas could just reach the broach, he just may be able to use the sharp edge to fray and cut the ropes. It was a long shot, but a shot nonetheless, and Legolas would take it.

The blond elf took a large breath and stretched out his leg as far as it could go in attempt to reach the cloak.

Instantly, his ribs burned from the pain of rubbing up against the ropes. He clenched his teeth tightly together as the elf stretched further, bringing on a new wave of pain to his bruised body.

His foot hovered only inches from the cloak, giving it the appearance of an unreachable goal. The continuing _Thump Thump_ of blood in his ears grew with every moment.

Legolas pushed one more time, grimacing when, yet again, the ropes rubbed strongly against his ribs.

With an inward cry of success, Legolas hooked the edge of the cloak with his foot and dragged it slowly toward him.

A small noise caused Legolas's head to snap up, blues eyes surveying the surrounding area.

The guard, sleeping by the stump, shifted slightly.

Legolas froze, sending a silent prayer to Valor for pity. It seemed as though his prayer was granted as the guard returned to his undisturbed sleep.

The blond elf let out a long sigh and pulled the cloak the rest of the way to him.

Aragorn didn't speak, but gave a questioning look at the elf's smile of triumph.

Legolas ignored the man's look and went to work to taking the broach off of the cloak, which was difficult for Legolas had no free hands and one badly hurt leg.

After a few minutes, the elf was finally able to pull the sharp object off, giving another silent praise to the gods.

The blond glanced over at Strider. This was where the human was needed.

Because of the way Legolas was tied and the tree that he was tied to, it was nearly impossible for him to grasp the broach tight enough to use. But if Legolas could kick it over to Strider, then it was possible that Strider could cut himself loose and then untie him.

He didn't like it. There was always the small chance that the human would cut himself loose and leave him behind. But Legolas had no other choice than to trust the human and take his chances.

"Strider." Legolas whispered. The patient Strider met Legolas's eyes as the blond turned to a very uncomfortable position and painfully kicked the small broach over to Aragorn.

The dark-haired Strider quickly caught the broach with his foot and pulled it back so that his bond hands grasped the edges. He gritted his teeth and started the painful procedure of cutting the rope.

The rough texture of the rope cut into his skin every time he moved his hands, making it difficult for him to cut the bonds.

Strider closed his eyes, and after what felt like and eternity, he felt the rope begin to fray.

But not soon enough as the guard shifted again, this time in a way that showed he was awakening.

Legolas shot his head around to take a good look at the guard, and then returned his gaze on Strider, his blue eyes sharp and pleading. The human didn't need to hear words to know that they where quickly running out of time.

With a finally grunt, the last of the rope fell to the ground and Aragorn began to work on the ropes binding his chest to the tree; an easier job since his hands were now free.

Another eternity passed before Aragorn finally felt the fresh feel of freedom on his hands as he began to get the feeling and circulation back.

He walked cautiously; being careful not to make a sound over to the elf and began to work on his bonds.

Legolas was more than tempted to say something smart on how long it took for the human to untie his bonds, but thought against it as the guard shifted yet again.

With a huge smile, Aragorn finally finished untying the elf's bonds.

Legolas stood up and was met by a wave of paint that seemed to echo through his whole body.

It took all his self control to not show any signs of discomfort to the human standing next to him.

With a small intake of breath that burned his broken ribs, Legolas said "Let's go before they notice we are missing." And began to silently make his way out of the camp, in the way that only an elf can.

Aragorn followed, taking on last glance at the sleeping camp of men.

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They had been walking for about an hour in the unusually dark forest and Legolas was starting to feel the full extent of both his injuries and having no nourishment.

The elf's leg was giving him particular trouble, as was his ribs.

But he would continue. He would keep going, despite his hurt leg and ribs. He would keep going even if he had an axe in his back.

The elf's breath was strained and sweat glistened on his pale face. He took a glance at his companion.

The human seemed to be fairing no better than him.

A far away noise brought him out of his thoughts. He paused and stood completely still, looking almost like a statue.

"What is it?" Aragorn whispered, hoping that the elf was just being over-cautious.

Legolas paused and listened for another moment before his blue eyes widened and he began to run through the forest, pulling a confused Strider along with him by the arm.

"What did you hear?" Strider asked while trying to adjust to the elf's quickening pace. The fair being could run awfully fast for having a hurt leg.

"They are near; right behind us. I apologize, mellon-nin. I should have heard them earlier. I do not know why I did not." Legolas replied golden eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Peace, mellion-nin." Aragorn replied, knowing that the elf was disturbed by this.

"You are injured." He offered.

Legolas did not feel the least bit comforted by the statement. Maybe he was more injured than he originally thought…

The elf and human continued through the forest, both being's breath highly hitched and bodies aching.

Aragorn knew that they could not keep up the pace that they were moving at. He was already extremely tired and one look at the pale elf told him that fair being must also be.

All of the sudden, Legolas quickened his pace farther. "Come… they… are…near!" Legolas strangled out between gasps.

The air felt unusually thin against his strangled breaths. He quickly noticed at Strider wasn't beside him.

Legolas began to turn behind him when a sharp pain spread across his back and propelled him to the ground. Time seemed to be in slow motion as he felt himself falling and finally hitting the earth, landing on his ribs.

His golden hair spilled into his face as his harsh breath blew the dirt near his mouth. Legolas felt unusually light as a haze covered his vision and hearing.

Darkness was ebbing at his sight. He barley heard a voice calling in the distance. _Someone familiar? _To far away to hear.

Legolas's world was swirling. The trees the ground were morphing into one.

The forest was closing in fast as the darkness finally consumed him and took him to be a captive yet again…

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**where tears fall: those of you who where hoping for answers... oops!- they will come, sooner or later:) anyways thanks for reading and please review!- **

**I know, I'm horrible with cliff hangers...**


	12. Chapter 12

**where tears fall: hello everyone. Happy Easter! Like allways thanks so much for the reviews, they make me smile :)- well, enough blabber...**

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Aragorn barely had time to see the elf fall, before another arrow whizzed dangerously passed his head. 

He ran up to the fallen being, completely aware of the fast approaching humans.

His eyes ran over the blond and stopped at the being's back.

Embedded in it was an arrow.

Aragorn gulped down bile rising in his throat as he hesitantly touched the shaft of the arrow. He knew he had to break off the shaft of the arrow and stop the bleeding, otherwise the elf would not live.

The blond's already blood-stained tunic was now turning a solid crimson color from the blood flowing freely from his back.

The sound of approaching horses remained Aragorn that he had little time. With a silent prayer, he took hold of the arrow and snapped the shaft off, erecting only a small moan form the unconscious being.

Sweat now streaming from his brow, Aragorn tore off a piece of his tunic and carefully wrapped the wound, being careful not to push the arrow in deeper.

The human took a large breath, pleased at the work he had done with such little supplies and limited time, before picking up the unconscious elf, and searching for a place to take cover.

He was surprised at how light the elf felt in his arms and how easy it was to carry him.

"You are more trouble than you are worth, mellon-nin." he whispered to Legolas before running once again into the forest, praying that for once, luck would be kind to him.

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Sadir's eyes widened in surprise as he watched a nearby man let go his arrow in the direction that the escapee's had headed.

"No! You fool! I need the elf alive!" he cried stopping his horse abruptly and turning to glare at the ashamed looking man.

"You better pray that he is alive." he said through clenched teeth, before turning his horse around and following after the captives.

He grabbed the reins of the horse tightly. He needed the blasted elf alive for at least one more day to guarantee Thranduil that his son was still alive. Other wise, Thranduil might not come. And that would ruin all of his plans...

Sadir's inner thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Dater's voice.

"Sadir. We've lost them."

Sadir turned, eyes blaring.

"WHAT?" he yelled, as Dater and all the surrounding men seemed to shrink at the sound of his voice.

"I...I...said that we lost them." Dater replied, trying his best not to look Sadir directly in the eyes.

Sadir's face slowly melted from pure furry to silent acceptance in a spilt second.

"No matter." he said so calmly that all of the men looked up in surprise at the man's sudden change in demeanor.

"Keep searching. We will find them. And when you do, bring them to me. I would like to have a chat with the man and elf." he said lifting his head up high and riding off toward the camp.

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Aragorn looked at the pale face of the elf that seemed to be illuminated with a clear light that hovered precariously around his bruised skin.

The blond was sweating profusely and fighting to gather air with each labored breath.

Aragirn sat with his back against the cold stone of the cave. He desperately wanted to light even a small fire to warm his cold, aching body. But with Sadir and his men searching through the forest, he would not risk the chance of them seeing the light and being captured again.

It was a pure miracle that he had found the cave in the first place. The small cave was not visible at all from the forest path, being hidden by several shrubs and bushes. As soon as Aragorn had arrived in the cave, he had immediately turned his attention to the hurt elf.

The fair being's breath came in short gasps, causing the once smooth skin on his face to contort with each breath.

Aragorn was quickly able to remove the arrow without too much complication and wrapped the elf's wounds. The human was very satisfied with the work he had done, although he was still concerned for the hurting elf.

Aragirn closed his eyes and placed his head against wall of the cave. He would just have to wait here till morning and then, maybe, try to escape. He could not stay in one place, for Sadir was certain to find them soon.

But then, there was the question of where he would go. He couldn't go back to Imaldris; it was too far back and the hurt elf would most likely not make it that far.

That meant his only choice was to go to Mirkwood. But he would have to stay off the main road, and he did not know Mirkwood well enough to go through the forest. He would much rather take his chances of staying in the cave then getting lost in the Mirkwood forest...

A cough turned the man's attention to the elf lying on the floor.

"Easy, mellon-nin." he said while kneeling down next to the elf.

Legolas gave one more strangled cough before opening up his bleary blues eyes.

The elf looked so confused that Aragorn actually started laughing.

"You are lucky that you are so light, or we may have not been able to escape." Aragorn said, calming his laughter suddenly.

It seemed to take awhile for the man's words to sink in, but when they did, Legolas offered a weak smile.

The elf seemed to struggle with himself for a moment as he attempted to sit up.

Aragorn saw what he was doing and grabbed his arm to help him up. Legolas exhaled slowly, proving to himself that he was exhausted as he sat up.

His blue eyes were trained on the dirt floor as a sudden realization hit him.

"You...you saved my life." he said while bringing his eyes up to meet Aragorn's.

Aragorn stared at the blond for a moment before chuckling to himself.

"Yes, yes I did. But do not forget, you also have saved my life."

Legolas seemed to contemplate this for a moment, while Aragorn continued.

"And we are not safe yet. Sadir is still after us. For no logical reason that I can think of." he exclaimed in an aggravated tone.

Legolas felt a twinge of guilt hit him as returned his gaze to floor.

He felt himself being torn into directions. He could tell the man that he was the reason that Sadir was after them, but Legolas had no idea how Strider would react to the news. Legolas had no information this man, other than a most likely untrustworthy name.

But Strider had the right to know. Strider had saved his life.

Legolas sighed.

His mind and mind and his feelings were once again contradicting each other.

Legolas sighed _again_, this time catching the attention of Aragorn.

"I must tell you something, friend." Legolas said, pulling his gaze up to meet Aragorn.

Aragorn only lifted a dark eyebrow and waited for the elf to continue.

"My name is not Findel." the elf said, his blue eyes now clear and pure.

Aragorn smiled at this obviously amused at the name he had given the elf.

"My name is Legolas." he said softly.

Aragorn continued smiling and nodded his head at the name the elf had given. The name seemed oddly familiar and nagged at the back of his mind as something important. But he dismissed it.

Legolas paused for a moment, almost afraid, for some reason, to go on. His golden brow scrunched as he took a deep breath.

"My father is king Thranduil. I am the prince of Mirkwood." he continued, staring up at the man to see the reaction the statement would have on him.

Aragorn just stared at Legolas for a moment, as if the elf was playing some sort of joke. But the sincere look on the blond's face swept any doubt he had against the elf's statement.

It all began to be put together in his mind. The familiarity of the name; Aragorn had heard his brothers mention the name of the prince of Mirkwood many times before. In fact, the elf and his brothers had been childhood friends; he had heard many stories of the brave, kind prince and the many troubles they had encountered (or caused).

And then it would explain why Sadir was so intent on coming after them. He must want something to do with Mirkwood.

Aragorn's eyes widened as it finally hit him.

He was standing in the presence of the crown prince of Mirkwood. Aragorn could hear his father in the back of his mind chastising him for being so rude. But that was nothing compared to how his faced paled at the thought of Kind Thranduil. The Mirkwood king was famous for his temper...

"Your majesty. I am sorry that…"

"Stop." Legolas cut Aragorn off, his face filled with sadness and a twinge of regret.

"You need only to address me as Legolas, friend." He said and added a small smile for good measure.

Aragorn could not help a large smile quickly spread over his face. He parted his lips to say something when the large voice of Dater sounded through the air.

"Come out! We know you're here!" he called, gruff voice echoing through the woods.

Aragorn became tense as Legolas perked his delicate ears for information on how close Dater was.

The crunch of leaves under horse hooves confirmed both their fears.

Dater was near.

And they had no where to go…

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**where tears fall: well, what do you think?- any suggestions are welcome! and... Happy Easter! (again!) :)  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the LOTR charaters or story and I am not making any profit out of my story.**

**where tears fall: Thanks (as always) to all the reviewers! You guys are great...**

**The next chapter is well, short so please except my apologises! The next one will be longer...**

**Well, here you go... **

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Legolas and Aragorn tensed at the sound of Dater's voice echoing thought the woods. 

The dark-haired human held his breath and pressed himself against the side of the cave. He let his eyes wander to the elf who appeared to be doing the same. His blue eyes were closed tightly as he attempted to regulate his breathing.

"Come out, come out. I know yer here somewhere." The gruff voice yelled.

Aragorn tensed again at the sound of Dater approaching. There was no way that Dater was idiotic enough to not see the small cave from where he was. Which meant that both he and the prince were in deep trouble.

The footsteps grew closer and soon the outline of Dater's form could be seen at the mouth of the cave

They had been found.

Dater walked up to the human and the elf, obviously alone.

Legolas looked at the approaching human and attempted to stand. There was no way that he would sit by and be captured without a fight.

Aragorn seemed to see what the blond was doing for he shakily stood up and pressed his hand on the elf's shoulder to stop him from moving.

His grey eyes met the princes as he gave the elf a disapproving look. Aragorn quickly decided that Legolas was in no condition to be fighting. The elf could barely stand on his own, let alone fight weaponless.

One bad hit to the arrow wound and the blond could be seriously hurt.

Aragorn stood tall despite the pain in his ribs and muscles, and watched as Dater continued to make his way into the small cave _alone_. Aragorn looked for the other who were sure to be following, but saw no one.

Dater seemed to see what Aragorn was doing and let out a mighty laugh. His dark eyes flickered to Aragorn.

"No. No one's following me. I have you all to myself." He said as he took a step closer. Aragorn protectively stepped in front of an injured Legolas.

"I'm sure Sadir would not appreciate that." Aragorn said, his confidence raised that he was only dealing with Dater only.

Dater seemed to flinch at Sadir's name, but quickly recovered and spat at the ground.

"Sadir won't mind. I'll just say that you put up some resistance." He said and quickly turned his attention to the elf and cracking his knuckles.

"I just want justice." He spat, glaring daggers at Legolas.

Aragorn began to speak, but was interrupted by the blond.

"I did not destroy your village." He said, returning with a sharp glare of his own.

Dater let out another laugh that seemed to shake the cave.

"But I might know who did." Legolas said, his voice strong and confident, betraying his feeble look. The dark human looked uncertainly at the elf.

"What did you say?" Dater said and took a step forward facing the elf.

Legolas did not falter.

"Doesn't it seem odd that only Sadir identified the attack as elven?" he said.

Dater had a perplexed look on his face, as if it never occurred to him that maybe Sadir was lying.

"Elves are peaceful. We would gain nothing but bloodshed from destroying your village." Legolas continued. Dater didn't speak; his eyes were cold and calculating.

Aragorn looked from Dater to Legolas, perplexed at what the elf was doing.

"But by destroying your village, Sadir would give you reason to hate the elves."

Dater clenched his fists tight. Aragorn could see the internal struggle that he was going through. He tried to deny it, but on the inside, Dater knew that Legolas was right.

"Don't you see? He is using you and all the men." Legolas said harshly, aware that Dater was considering what was being said.

Dater gave a sharp look to Legolas and then to Aragorn, his teeth tightly clenched.

"Are you saying that Sadir is the one responsible for the destruction of our village?" Sadir asked through his teeth.

Legolas did not need to give an answer. Dater already knew in his mind that Sadir was the one who caused all the pain he had gone through.

"That snake!" Dater exclaimed as he began to make his way out of the small cave.

"I'll kill him with my bare hands!" he shouted, eyes filled with a new rage. His anger showed clear in his voice as he stomped toward the mouth of the cave.

"Wait. You will only accomplish getting yourself killed." Legolas called.

Dater turned, rage slowly evaporating at the elf had said.

"We must first get help." Legolas said, eyes clear and serious.

"Where are we going to find help?" Dater spat, itching with aggravation.

Legolas looked from the aggravated human to a wide-eyed confused Strider, and smiled a weak smile.

"Mirkwood."

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Thranduil moved along quickly on his horse through the dark forest. Time was of the essence. He glanced along the trees, blue eyes assessing every suspicious noise or sound.

Sadir had told him to come alone.

And Thranduil would not endanger his only son's life by bringing along petty guards, who would only be a nuisance anyway.

His body filled with rage at the thought of what Sadir could, would, or had done to Legolas. He would not let the human get away unpunished.

Yes, he would play along with Sadir's game for now, but once Legolas was safe and sound, the Mirkwood king would bring his all of his fury down on the human. No one messed with his family.

The king gripped the reigns hard, as he continued riding through the night, keeping watch for anything suspicious. He would not be caught off-guard.

The close-knit trees soon gave way to a small clearing by a brook. In the middle of the clearing was a large gnarled tree that stretched out in every direction, drawing in the night air.

He dismounted and waited, listening to the wind through the trees.

This was the meeting place. He place that Sadir had told Thranduil in his most recent letter. But Sadir was no where to be seen.

Thranduil knitted his royal brow in concern. Sadir seemed very punctual in his letter, but now it seemed as though he would not show up.

Then suddenly, the trees began to whisper of someone approaching. Thranduil tensed. His fragile ears pricked up for sound as he heard several men approach. The king furrowed his brown even further.

If ears were not deceiving him, which that rarely did, it sounded as though there were only a few men coming.

Sadir would not be naïve enough to come with only a few men…

Unless it was part of his plan…

Thranduil let out an aggravated sigh in a very unkingly-like manner and waited as the first few forms appeared through the trees.

He tensed and squinted his eyes to see what appeared to be three men. One of the men seemed to be supporting the other, while the last man walked by himself.

As the faces became clearer, Thranduil assessed the men.

Hi hear nearly leapt out of his body at the sight.

He felt oddly paralyzed and unable to breathe as his face paled considerably.

He recognized the bruised, pale face, golden hair, and sharp delicate ears.

With a gasp he let out a simple whisper "Legolas…"

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**where tears fall: We11? Do you like? tell me what you think! I would love to hear it, even if you are tearing my story to shreds. I will still love you!  
**

**Anyways, I may not be able to update next week for I have a HUGE exam to study for, so I may not be able to write it! Sorry for the delay, but if I have time, I promise that I will update. Otherwise, what's one more week anyways? Sorry again and please review: ) thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**where tears fall: Arghh! Sorry for the long wait! Unfornunately, I could not recover my document, so I had to rewrite it, but that's OK... **

**Special thanks to: lauren hedgehog, Misile, invisiqoth3, Ida Cippo, and Anonymous for your input and advice on how ot help my computer problem... You guys helped a lot!**

**well, here is the next chapter: **

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Chapter 14

Every step drained precious energy from his body. Every step sent a horde of pain echoing through his head and ribs.

Legolas felt incredibly weak and yet, he kept on going. The murderous glint in Dater's eyes that shone through at the blond elf and the slight urging of Strider encouraged Legolas to not stop, despite his fatigue.

They had been walking for what seemed to be an eternity. Aragorn held a steading arm around the prince's waist, being careful not to aggravate the elf's ribs or arrow wound more than necessary.

Over time, the exhausted blond had rested nearly all his weight on the human. Event though the elf was relatively light, Aragorn's muscles still burned form exhaustion, as the pain in his ribs grew with every breath.

Strider braced himself as Legolas stumbled over a rut in the ground, his weak body trembling. He pulled the shaking elf closer, gasping as more pressure was put on his bruised ribs. The ground was unusually foggy, hiding the roots and dips in the ground, and making it extremely difficult to walk.

Aragorn glanced at Dater, who gave him am impatient look, revenge shining purely in his eyes. Strider knew the human was anxious to get to Mirkwood as soon as possible and more importantly, get revenge on Sadir for destroying the village and deceiving them all.

Aragorn couldn't blame the human for wanting revenge, but he presence of the man was only causing unease to grow inside.

Lost in thought, Aragorn stumbled slightly on a dip in the ground, and his time it was Legolas who steadied him, grunting with pain as his did. Blue eyes met gray as the man and elf exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing.

They couldn't go on like this.

But Sadir was bound to have noticed the missing Dater and would be hot on their trail.

They couldn't stop, but they couldn't go on.

A grumble from Dater caused Aragorn and Legolas to stumble onward, their decision made for them.

Strider flinched when the young prince he was supporting suddenly stopped and straightened up, ear's perked and blue eyes wide.

"What?" Aragorn asked, after a moment of silence, looking around for any signs of Sadir.

From the past few days of being with the elf, Strider had learned what the wide-eyed concentrated look meant: mainly trouble.

"We are wasting time!" a disgruntled Dater growled out, grinding his teeth in attempt to control his temper.

"Something, familiar...the trees...they..." Legolas replied, ignoring Dater's comment.

He stayed alert for a moment before a confused look crossed his face, fair eye brows scrunched tightly together.

"Nevermind..." the blond replied after a moment, fair eyebrows still knitted together.

Aragorn shrugged it off, still alert for anything out of the ordinary.

Dater impatiently urged them on across the misty clearing.

Aragorn gave him another sharp look and continued on.

A few steps later, Legolas stopped suddenly head suddenly darting up, ears sharp and perceptive.

He knew something wasn't right. All his instincts, despite being weakened from exhaustion and blood loss, were screaming that something was coming; good or bad, he could not be certain.

Dater gave another exacerbated sigh, which Aragorn and Legolas promptly ignored.

Blue eyes scanned the clearing till they stopped, widening at the sight before him. Aragorn looked from the shocked elf to the seemingly impenetrable mist.

At first, the human saw nothing but the foreboding haze that lay ahead. But as he squinted his tiered eyes and looked farther, he could barely make out one figure quickly nearing.

Aragorn felt Legolas become rigid and more alert as the figure neared.

They were in a clearing and had nowhere to hide. Even if there was a place to hide, there would be no way that they could make it there. They were both too injured to make it anywhere in short amount of time.

So they waited.

Legolas scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as the figure suddenly became two. His blue eyes widened further when one of the figures became clearer.

It couldn't be possible. _There was no way that it could be..._

Shining blond hair, royal green robes.

Legolas reached out a thin hand and grabbed Aragorn's arm tightly as the confused human looked from the approaching figure to the blond elf.

"What is it?" Aragron whispered, looking intently at the elf.

Legolas's eyes softened as his body relaxed and loosened his grip on Aragorn's arm.

"Legolas!" the figure called and began running towards the elf and human.

"Ada." Legolas stated, voice tired, as his body filled with sudden relief.

"Legolas!" the figure called again, this time becoming clear thought the fog.

Aragorn's eyes widened at the sight of the Mirkwood king. He was just as Aragron had imagined he looked like. He had golden blond hair and the same stunning eyes as his son, that were greatly enhanced by the rich green color of the royal robes he wore. Aragorn could only guess what a lecture with those eyes burning through you might be like.

The only difference between the king and his son was the kind's large, proud build and Legolas's slim, more fragile one.

As Thranduil approached, Aragorn could clearly make out the worried look that seemed to be etched into the king's porcelain skin.

The king's features flooded with relief, joy, and concern at the sight of his son. Nearly running up to the injured elf, Thranduil cleared the distance between them in record time and took Legolas in a large embrace, being careful not to aggravate the young elf's wounds.

Aragron stepped back, not hiding the smile that quickly spread across his face at the sight.

Thranduil seemed to sling to Legolas for the longest time, taking in the presence fo his son.

"Oh, ion-nin, I thought I might have lost you." he whispered to Legolas, just barely holding back the feelings he truly felt; not wanting to think about how close he had truly come to losing his only son.

After another moment, the king stepped back to assess his son's obvious injuries. Thranduil grimaced inwardly at unusually pale skin of Legolas and the blood that seemed to stain every inch of his tunic.

Anger raged inside of him at Sadir as he clenched his fists tightly.

"What is going on here? Who are you?" the voice of a very confused Dater echoed through the clearing.

Thranduil immediately shot him a glare, fully aware of the two humans standing nearby. He did not especially like the human race. In fact, one could say that he despised them. Humans were greedy and selfish.

They only did what benefitted them and in Sadir's case, would even kidnap the prince of Mirkwood.

The king's eyes burned with rage.

"I think the better question _human_ would be who are you and what are you doing with my son?"

Dater seemed to take a step back at this, clearly alarmed at the elf's anger.

"You better pray to Valar that you did not harm my son." the king said, while taking a large step forward towards Dater.

Legolas, seeing what was about to transpire, reached out to his father in attempt to stop him form taking out his anger on a now, nearly terrified Dater.

Legolas should have guessed that this was bound to happen. He actually did not think through how he would explain the two humans to his father. He was more preoccupied with actually reaching his adar fist.

"Saes, ada, do not harm them." Legolas asked in a pleading tone. Thranduil stopped in his tracks and turned toward the young elf, eyes still aflame.

Legolas gulped inwardly, bracing himself for the impact what he was about to say would have on his father.

"They are...friends..." he said quietly, lowering his head.

Thranduil looked more than shocked. He walked quietly up to his son and put a soft arm on his shoulder.

"My son, you have obviously been through much these past few days..."

Legolas sighed inwardly. His ada would never accept that a human could be not evil.

"Who is that?" Dater whispered to Aragorn, begin careful not to be in hearing range of the angry elf.

Unfortunately for Dater, he did now know the extent of an elf's hearing.

Thranuil turned sharply, facing the two men again.

"I am Thranduil, king of Mirkwood, insolent _human._" he said, blue eyes filled with the pride of his title.

Dater seemed to consider this for a moment, before paling considerably. He was standing the presence of royalty. And what's worse, he had assisted in the kidnaping of a prince; the prince of Mirkwood to be exact.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" a voice echoed through the clearing, splitting the thick silence.

Legolas and Aragorn froze, instantly recognizing the voice.

"Sadir." Aragorn and Legolas whispered as the form of Sadir appeared through the mist, a mug look planted on his face.

Thranduil turned sharply to face Sadir who was walking calmly through clearing.

"Sadir..." he ground out in a unkingly like way whole body shaking in anger.

"Thranduil, it has been a long time." Sadir said calmly, taking a step up to the red-faced king.

Thranduil stepped protectively in front of his son as Aragorn went to support a weak Legolas.

"It seems the last time we met, you did not see things my way. But it seems the tables have turned." Sadir said while gesturing to the dark figures of men who began to surround the small group.

"You see this time, I have the advantage..." Sadir cooed, adding a slick smile.

Aragorn gulped as the men closed in on them, blocking all escape routes.

This time, there was no escape...

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**where tears fall: GASP! Well, that wasn't as good as I thought it could be... but tell me what you think! The next chapter should have lots of action. **

**thanks for reading! **


	15. Chapter 15

**where tears fall: ARGHH! I am so sorry that it has taken so long for me to update! well, here is the next chapter. Lots of action...I think...**

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The men were everywhere, surrounding and closing in fast, evil smiles plastered on their faces and weapons held out ready for attack. 

Aragorn's eyes lit up and instinctively reached for his sword at his side, but cursed as he realized he had no weapon. The man glanced at the elf he was supporting.

The blond seemed surprisingly calm and serene despite the predicament they were in.

Dater stepped closer to Aragorn, shakily bringing out his sword and readied it for the oncoming attack. His breath was panicked and wild, sharply contrasting Legolas's calm appearance. He seemed more like a frightened rabbit cornered by a pack of wolves than a warrior. This did nothing to calm Aragorn's nerves.

They were trapped with no defense; the odds seemed pretty slim, but he had been taught to never give up, so he would fight till the end if he had to. Even if the end meant death.

Aragorn glanced to the elf king who's face seemed to be turning an unusual shade of shade of red, eyes focused solely on Sadir.

Thranduil brought out his sword and gave one quick glance to his son and his son's "friends". He didn't trust the humans, but in his current predicament, he had no choice but to. His eyes traveled back to Sadir's, icy blue locking on them.

The king was not known for his outstanding patience. As soon as he had found out that the human had captured his son, all the patience he would have had quickly dried up.

Sadir stepped forward, eyes full of glee like a child who had just received a new toy. He met the eyes of Thranduil and his smile broadened. Sadir's dark appearance coupled with the mist blowing softly across the clearing would have spilled fear into the hearts of even the most brave elf, but where fear would have been, Thranduil felt only rage.

Sadir sensed this. His dark eyes saw the anger in the elf and knew how to incise him more.

"Kill the humans and the elfling, but save Thranduil for me." he said, eye's gleaming at the king.

The statement did just what Sadir had intended.

Thranduil's eyes widened and whipped his head around to see Legolas's pale form become hard as his eyes frantically over viewing the approaching men. Legolas wouldn't be able to defend himself against five men in his condition, certainly not twenty.

The elf king turned back around and was met by a line of grinning men brandishing their weapons. Rage immediately built up in the experienced elf and he plunged forward, sword swinging in graceful yet swift motions, designed to quickly kill the target. The men were surprised as were not prepared for the sudden onslaught the king gave.

There was no stopping Thranduil.

Aragorn grasped Legolas quickly, pulling him behind as a man lunged at him, swinging wildly at the two. He gasped as the sudden movement sent his ribs ringing with pain.

Aragorn dodged another attack, the blade barely missing his head by a hair, and elbowed the man harshly in the stomach. He was running on pure adrenaline as he grabbed the discarded sword of the now unconscious man and held it skillfully in front of him.

Aragorn wrung the handle of the sword, beads of sweat trailing down his face, as another man sprung forward. There was a loud clash of metal to metal as the two swords met and were pulled apart. Aragorn had barely enough time to collect himself as another man swiped at him this time barely catching his arm.

A stip of crimson blood slowly spread over the arm of his tunic as Aragorn jabbed in with his blade to catch the man in his stomach. The man quickly dodged it and attacked again, just as another man came up swinging wildly.

Aragorn felt a thundering in his chest as he jumped out of the way of the first attacker just to barely miss the blade of the second one. He acted quickly, bringing down the hilt of his sword on the first attacker, before he was able to strike again and driving his blade into the mid section of the second man, completely taking him by surprise.

The man became limp as Aragorn pulled the sword out of his stomach erecting a sickening sound.

The adrenaline that had been driving Aragorn for so long was now waning, as the weakness that had been haunting him finally caught up, weighing down his limbs and straining his breath.

He glanced back a moment to late just to see a blade coming straight for his head. The blade seemed to move agonizingly slow; taunting Aragorn that he could not deflect the attack. He urged his tired limbs to move, as the sword moved closer.

His thundering heart and labored breathing seemed to stop as time seemed to stop.

He knew that he couldn't block the oncoming attack and braced himself for the touch of cold steel against his skin, slicing into him.

But suddenly at the last second, a sword appeared out of seemingly nowhere and blocked the attack with a loud clash of steel. Legolas swiftly jumped in front of the confused man and in one quick motion ran his sword through Aragorn's attacker.

A wide-eyed Strider immediately went to the aid of the pale elf, supporting him with one arm while over viewing the men tightly closing in around them.

Legolas's breathing was hitched as he turned his blue eyes on Aragorn, offering a weak smile.

Despite the danger surrounding them, Aragorn could not help but let a weak smile pull at his lips. The elf had saved his life _again._ Just as he had saved the elf before.

It was becoming a very disturbing routine...

Legolas took in a deep breath, trying to steady his shaking limbs. The attempt to save his friend had cost him more energy then the elf could afford.

He glanced up at Strider, blue eyes searching for any sign that the man would have a plan to escape the approaching humans. But, unfortunately, Strider looked as weak and out of ideas as Legolas.

"You don't know what you're doing!" the weak and desperate voice of Dater called out, as he joined his two companions in the middle of a growing circle.

He held out his blood-stained sword, backing up slowly to where Legolas and Aragorn were.

His eyes danced from man to man, wild and dangerous.

"He's deceived you all! You fools! Can't you see!" he called out again, poining his blade to each of the men.

Aragron and Legolas watched as the men slowed their advance and looked to each other, discerning the validity of Dater's statement. They seemed hesitant to advance as Dater continued.

"Sadir was responsible for the destruction of the village! He has deceived us!" Dater yelled, desperation clear in his voice.

A low murmur erupted between the men as they stopped their advance completely.

Dater stood trembling and still on guard, but the smallest prick of hope shone in his frightened eyes.

---

Thranduil pulled his blade from yet another human and searched the crowd for his son. He was not hard to find as he was in the center of a growing circle of men.

"Legolas!" Thranduil called out, as the disheveled king ran forward to meet up with his son.

"Hold!" the voice of Sadir ran out like chilling ice, causing Thranduil to stop suddenly as his eyes widened in fear. He visibly paled at the sight before him.

Only a few feet away from Legolas stood Sadir, holding a bow directed precariously at the prince's head.

"Hold or I will kill him." Sadir said smoothly, taking a step forward to press the arrow head under Legolas's chin.

The prince seemed relatively unfazed, staring at Sadir rebelliously.

Aragorn supported Legolas strongly and fixed a steely gaze at Sadir.

"Step back human." Sadir ground out to Aragorn, pressing the arrow harder against Legolas's soft skin.

Aragorn's gaze intensified as he gently squeezed Legolas's arm and took a slow step back, not once breaking his stare at the man.

Sadir smiled as his eyes flickered from the prince to the king.

"What do you want with us?" Legolas asked hoarsely, blue eyes strong and steady, betraying his weak condition.

Sadir laughed and nodded to the gruff-looking men behind the elf. The men stepped up and roughly grabbed a hold of Aragorn, Legolas, and Dater purposely shoving them onto their knees in front of Sadir. Aragorn braced himself as he kicked sharply in his bruised ribs, stealing his breath in a wave of blind pain.

Legolas watched Aargorn try to roll up in pain as anger grew steadily with in him. He glanced to his other companion.

Dater remained still, eyes wide like a frightened deer, trying to remain as invisible as possible.

Legolas pulled weakly at the men holding him down.

That was a mistake...

The next thing he knew was an excruciating pain erupting in his back where, presumably a man had kicked him.

He ground his teeth against the pain as a man kicked him in his back again, where his arrow wound had been. He felt warm blood roll softly down his back where the wound had been reopened.

Legolas looked up to glare at Sadir, but instead caught the sight of the sorrowful eyes of his father. Thranduil stood, standing completely still and proud, structure high and royal as a king should be. But Legolas could see his eyes filled with pain and sorrow from seeing his only son in such a state of pain.

It broke the blond-haired elf's heart.

Sadir walked up and kneeled in front of the three beings starring Legolas straight in eyes as if challenging him to strike.

"If your father would have cooperated in the first place, none of this would have happened." he whispered just loud enough for the ear's of an elf to hear.

Legolas did not change his stare, instead intensified it to the limit his tired body could handle.

"A while back I offered him a trade agreement, but he refused, so I was forced to take...an "alternative" method to get what I required." Sadir said smoothly while reaching out to trace the edges of Legolas's bloodied face with his finger.

"Don't touch him!" Thranduil cried out as he lunged forward , but was swiftly jabbed in the stomach by one of men holding him back. The king went down sputtering for a breath as Legolas attempted to stand, but was held down by the men behind him.

Legolas turned, eyes filled with rage, to Sadir.

"Do not hurt him!" he commanded, wavering voice and his present position giving him nothing to support his words.

Sadir stood up immediately drawing his sword and placing it across Legolas's neck.

"Enough games. Thranduil give me it or I will kill your son." he said coldly, staring at a torn Thranduil.

Aragorn tensed as again a blade was put his new friend's neck. He attempted a weak struggle and gained only another painful shove by the man holding him down.

An swift wind blew soundlessly through the clearing, snaking though the men and two elves.

Thranduil remained still, mind churning and torn between what was best for Mirkwood and his son.

"Now Thranduil!" Sadir yelled, patience run dry, as he pushed the blade up under the neck of Legolas, causing a small rivulet of blood to flow down.

Thranduil closed his eyes and hesitantly reached into his tunic, slowly bringing out a small vile filled with a churning dark liquid.

He opened his sorrowful eyes and held out the vile in his hand. Sadir's eyes widened at the sight of the small vile. Legolas could sense the yearning in the man for what ever the liquid was.

"Let Legolas go." Thranduil commanded, his voice rough and stern. He no longer held the presence of royalty. The king's blond hair was strewn about his face in a disheveled manner and his deep green tunic was spotted with blood as was part of his face.

His posture was unsure and hesitant.

"Give me the vile first and then I will let your son go." Sadir said, eyes dark. The man nodded to the men holding back Thranduil and they gruffly took a step back.

Thranduil walked slowly up to Sadir, summing up his best glare for a man. But Sadir remained unfazed, eyes completely fixed on the object in the king's hand.

Thranduil stepped in front of Sadir, giving one quick glance to Legolas as he handed the vile to Sadir.

The dark-haired man grasped the vile tightly, taking in the color an weight of the liquid held with in. He seemed transfixed for a moment, forgetting everything that surrounded him, solely focused on the vile he held. Then the trance broke and his eyes flickered up to Thranduil, back to the vile an then to Dater.

Dater shrunk under the stare of Sadir and took a long gulp.

"Well, Thranduil, let us see if you wish to live." he said slickly and stepped up to Dater, holding the vile tightly in his hand.

Dater stared up at Sadir and was roughly hauled to his feet. Sadir grabbed Dater's face with his hand, forcing his mouth open.

"You should have not betrayed me." Sadir whispered eerily.

Dater sputtered and tried to pull away but was only able to gain a punch in the stomach. Sadir held his face tightly and put a small drop of the dark liquid on his tongue and let go of his face roughly.

Dater coughed and looked fearfully up to Sadir, eyes wide and questioning.

"What did you do to me?" he asked, shaking slightly.

Sadir just smiled and pulled out his sword again.

"You need not be afriad. I have given you a gift." he said and stepped up to Dater, eyes shinning, sending chills down Dater's spine.

"Wh..What gift?" Dater stumbled out.

Sadir smiled again and kneeled down in front of Dater, facing him, black eyes boring into the man's soul.

"Immortality."he said slickly and in one swift motion jabbed his blade though Dater's stomach.

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**where tears fall: so what do you think? The plot thickens... dun dun dun...  
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**  
well thanks for reading and please review if you have any advice!**


	16. Chapter 16

**where tears fall: hello everyone! Thanks as always for the reviews! They really help me a lot! Well, I should get a cheer because my update is on time! applause anyway- here is the next chapter- enjoy:**

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_Chapter 16_  
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_"Immortality."he said slickly and in one swift motion jabbed his blade though Dater's stomach._

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Dater's eyes widened as he felt the blood flow freely down his stomach, staining his tunic a dark crimson. He looked down as Sadir pulled the sword out revealing a gaping hole bubbling with blood.

A strong wind swept across the clearing, pushing the mist in swirling puffs past the group of stunned men and elves.

Dater's lips moved with unspoken words as he sat stunned at the sudden action. The blood did not seem his as it continued to flow along his stomach. A calmness and ease settled within him, taming his growing fear.

It didn't seem as though he was dying, but living. The intense warmth grew and spread throughout his body, curling around his fingertips and reaching down to his toes. It intensified, filling his body with a plentiful peace.

His breath became caught in his throat as he saw the blood slow and eventually stop, leaving only a long stain on his tunic as a remnant.

Dater looked up hesitantly, seeking out answers from the depths of Sadir's eyes. He reached down tentatively and traced his finger along the smooth skin where the gaping hole had been only moments before.

An eerie silence fell over the men as they stared, wide-eyed at the occurrence. They stood frozen in place, too amazed and filled with fear to speak or move.

Dater desperately wanted to speak; to say something, but his voice failed his intentions as he only as able to produce unintelligible murmurings. _It was impossible. He had just been stabbed..._

Sadir's eyes lit up as he grasped the vile, a slick smile spreading over his face as he did so.

"Well Thranduil, it seems as though you _are_ honorable." he said, turning to meet the gaze of the king. Thranduil's blue eyes portrayed feelings of intense hatred and disgust at the human, his brow furrowed in anger.

Legolas looked from his father to a still stunned Dater, his fair face etched with confusion. In all his years he had never heard of any substance that could give a human the life span of an elf, let alone immortality. And yet, here it was right before him.

The price's eyes darted up to his father's. The king's normally clear, blue eyes, overflowing with wisdom of many years, were now filled with doubt and remorse. His father seemed uncharacteristically hesitant, and it unnerved the Legolas greatly.

Another laugh of Sadir broke through the clearing as he tipped back his head and let nearly half of the dark liquid slide into his mouth. He relished the cool taste of the liquid on his mouth and the power it would bring to him.

"You have received what you have sought. Now let my son go free." Thranduil said, a renewed fire of authority prominent in his voice.

Sadir laughed again at this, causing any notion in Aragorn that the man was at least a little sane to disappear. Sadir's eyes were filled with supposed power and his laugh was haughty and that of a mad man.

"What I _seek_ is to bring your wretched race down on their knees like they belong!" he spat, intense hatred lacing every word.

Legolas withdrew slightly at this statement. He knew that many men disliked the elves, but he had never heard such hatred for his kind.

"My father would always tell me of how your race lived in palaces and ate in feasts, while our people lived starving in huts!" he yelled to Thranduil, breath ragged with anger.

Thranduil remained calm, staring with icy eyes at wild man before him. It was obvious to the king that the man was insane, and that was his weakness. His want for power and revenge would weigh him down fatally.

He only hoped that Legolas would be safe when Sadir realized that he would fail.

"But now," Sadir started, holding the vile carefully in his hand. The light of day slithered through the vile, penetrating the dark of the foul liquid. "I have the power to take down all the elves." His eyes darted from the vile to Thranduil; any trace of sanity now gone.

"Living forever is different than never dying." he said almost to himself more than Thranduil. An elf could live forever, but be killed by a single arrow. But with this new liquid, the men could never die.

His dark eyes flickered.

"The men will wage a great war on elves. And we _will_ win!" he called looking to the group of men.

The men were hesitant, looking to each other for guidance. They saw how Sadir had changed from becoming a composed, intelligent, leader, to a wild, crazy, general, wanting to start a great war that was bound to end up badly for both sides. A wave of uneasiness settled on the ring of men, causing them to shift uncomfortably.

Sadir's smile faded when he saw the way the men stood back from him. He could feel the tension and hear the unsaid words between the men, questioning his motives and sanity.

He drew his sword in a rebound of rage.

"Any men who wish to leave, you are free to do so, but do not suppose any lenience when we meet again!" he called, eyes daring any man to move..

The men seemed more frightened than before, caught between feeling of what was right and what was a certain death. They were torn and certainly were not planning on starting a war with the elves. Cowardice and shifting trust in their leader won out...

Slowly, a few of the men threw down their blades and made a mad dash to the woods, not turning around to see what the reaction of their leader would be.

Aragorn turned his body slowly, ignoring the pain it brought his ribs and watched more of the wide-eyed men turn and run to supposed safety.

He caught a glimpse of Sadir fuming as he watched his group of fifty dissipate to around fifteen.

The man's face seemed to have changed three different shades of red before it settled on a dark-purplish color, accenting his dark eyes even more.

Dater, seeing the group of fleeing men attempted to stand and follow, but was quickly pulled down by the men holding him. He looked up to a very angry Sadir, wincing as he turned sharply.

Sadir's body was drawn with anger at the betrayal. He grasped his sword hard in his hand while sucking in a composing breath.

"No matter. We will still win. We must." Sadir called out to the remaining men.

And suddenly, Sadir became still, and look of genius passed over his face as though an amazing thought had just entered his mind. A smile slipped across his face, spreading from ear to ear. The smile did nothing to comfort Aragorn's uneasiness. It seemed too dark and foreboding.

Sadir turned to Thranduil, eyes shining with dark evil and insanity. He grasped his blade tightly, slipping the vile in his cloak.

"Yes, there will be a war...A war that man will win." he said, eyes focused solely on the erect form of Thranduil. His breathing was ragged with madness and his dark hair was splayed across his forehead in an unnerving manner.

"And the first act of war will be the execution of the royal family of Mirkwood." he said eye's flashing as he turned to a kneeling Legolas.

Thranduil's eyes widened as Sadir slowly raised the blade above his son's head. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of his pale son looking calmly at the sword hovering over his head. Legolas seemed so accepting, too weak to struggle against the men holding him.

The king pulled at the men holding him back, receiving only a jab in the ribs. Thranduil didn't feel the pain, and pulled again, this time more forceful, caused the men to strain to hold him back. His only objective was to get to his son.

His son was his life.

Without Legolas; with out his little leaf; he would fade.

And now, before his eyes, his life was to be taken from him at the hands of an insane man.

"No, please..." he whispered, eyes pleading silently to the mad man before him.

Sadir turned his head slowly to the elf king, pleasure shining in his features. His face crinkled into a wry smile and prepared to strike.

Aragorn looked from Legolas to Sadir. The elf seemed so calm, his pale, bruised face, drawn into an emotionless stare; his golden blond hair disheveled and clinging to his face.

But there was an air of royalty that shifted about him, despite his appearance. Aragorn could see the pride of generations in his blue eyes. He seemed more like a prince now, in this dire situation than any of the time that Aragorn had been with him.

Strider's face hardened as he felt himself immersed in his own royalty; his own destiny. He felt empowered as the strength of kings before him swept into his mind in a world wind of truth.

He was not a child.

He would not stand by and witness his friend's murder. He had met the elf prince only a few days ago, but the connection and companionship that he felt towards hte being was enough to compel him. Legolas had saved his life, already many times before.

He would not be an idle and watch as the events that determined his destiny play out before his very eyes.

No, not while he was still breathing...

Sadir grasped the hilt of the sword hard in his hands and brought the blade down forcefully, aiming for the neck of the young prince.

Feeling a newfound energy course through his body, Aragorn leapt out, surprising the men that

held him, and tackled Sadir to the ground before his stroke fell.

Sadir gasped as he hit the hard ground and felt the sword slip from his hands. He turned wildly to the face the man who had tackled him, but was met with the tip of his own blade.

Aragorn's body was swept up in pain and exhaustion, but he held his ground, letting the sword he held in his hand rest on Sadir's neck. The dark man seemed more like a cornered snake, coiling backwards in defeat against the blade.

"No! You are a man! You should help my cause!" Sadir pleaded as a last desperate attempt at victory. The sinking feeling of defeat swirled in his stomach and mind, cornering him, trapping him, but he would fight back with every thing he had, even if it was just his tongue.

Aragorn's eyes flashed as pride and honor fell upon his heart.

"I am not any man. I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn." he stated, straightening up as he said so. He felt plainly at ease in saying this, as if it fit well on his tongue. In all his years, he finally this sentence felt familiar and filled him with courage, instead of fear.

Sadir's eyes widened to an incredible extent as reality settled painfully on him. He gasped for air as if the truth was suffocating him and shrunk down before Aragorn.

"And I would never join a murderer and snake such as yourself." he spat, emphasizing his disgust as he said it.

Legolas and Thranduil froze, stunned at the man's profession. The young prince could not wrap his weary mind around the truth that he had been with Arathorn's son this whole time. He looked in awe at the sight of Aragorn, standing tall and proud in reference to his heritage. He seemed to glow with a presence that the young prince had never seem before.

A shift in weight caused Legolas to realize that the men were no longer holding him down. He turned his head slowly to see the rest of Sadir's "faithful" legion, backing up slowly into the safety of the woods.

Sadir's eyes darted from man to man, confusion washing over his features as the men gave apologetic looks and fled toward the trees. He felt his heart sink in sudden realizaion: he had been abandoned.

Aragorn felt a prick of pity jab his heart, but soon wiped it away. It was time to end this. Already weakness had begun to take back it's hold on the man's body, weighing him down more with each breath.

He knew that simply running Sadir through with the sword would not do anything, for he was now immortal. But you could not be immortal without a head...

Aragron raised the blade, watching Sadir wince as he did so.

His heart felt strangely conflicted.

He couldn't simply kill an unarmed man. Aragorn furrowed his brow as a new conflict arose inside of him.

_Sadir had wanted to kill him. _

_He would have killed Legolas. _

_The man deserved to die, at least for burning the village. _

But Aragorn could not find the strength to murder the pathetic man. His mind briefly fluttered back to the cause of this long journey: to simply deliver a small letter to King Thranduil. A simple test to see if he could travel safely on his own.

But it had become so much more...

And now he was faced with killing a man, who deserved to die.

Sadir's dark eyes flashed and smiled softly when he saw Aragorn hesitate. Maybe he had a chance after all...

Sadir went to make his move, slowly like a snake in the grass, but stopped suddenly as he felt a strange sensation run through his body. He took a gasp of breath and tired to move, but found that he was unable. He gasped again, this time taking in less air than before.

Aragorn stood, completely alarmed at the sight of Sadir apparently strangling on air. A rough hand on his shoulder cause him to meet the strong gaze of Thranduil. The king looked emotionally exhausted, yet spoke with a strong voice.

"You can only consume small amounts of the liquid to have the desired effect." he said cooly watching Sadir writhe on the floor.

Aragorn looked to Thranduil, letting his sword fall from his hand.

"He will die." Thranduil said as to answer Aragorn's silent question. Their eyes swept slowly over the form of Sadir as he drew his last strangled breaths, and finally lay still, eyes open and gazing towards the sky, lost in eternity.

"It was his own greed that sent him to his doom." Aragorn whispered more to himself than anyone else.

Thranduil nodded in affirmation as he turned his attention to his son.

"It seems as though death is the price of immorality."

Legolas nodded solemnly as he felt exhaustion, hunger, and blood loss, take effect in his body. With Sadir finally gone, he no longer fought the darkness pulling at his mind. He took a deep breath and felt himself fall to the ground as his consciousness waned.

Through Legolas's own ragged breathing he heard his father cry his name in a panicked tone. He tried to stave off the mist ebbing at his vision, but the pain was too great.

As a darkness closed in, he saw Aragorn fall to his knees in exhaustion and let his mind take him to the deep, peaceful, abyss that was unconsciousness...

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**where tears fall: well, now that wasn't too bad of a cliffie was it? - I bet a lot of you have many questions like where did our friend Dater run off to? but they will all be answered in the next chapter which should be posted next week. That will probably be the last chapter of this long journey- thank you to everyone who has been patient and reviewed!**

**If you have any suggestions- I will be happy to hear them: it is never to late!**

**thanks for reading! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Discalimer: I do not own any of the LOTR characters or story! **

**where tears fall: hello everyone! well, this is the last chapter and I just want to thank every one who reviewed and read the story! You really helped motivate and encourage me! It is so sad that this is the end- It has been a pleasure writing this- even if some of my updates were late :)  
**

**thanks again and here you go, the last chapter of Friends and Foes: **

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The mist had finally cleared, letting the light from the sun filter slowly on the occupants of the small clearing. 

King Thranduil was kneeled at his son's side, royal clothes smudged and stained; fair face etched with worry and concern.

A shaking hand rest on the young prince's neck, praying for a pulse from the elf. Legolas's sudden blackout had truly startled the king, and a sigh escaped his lips at the weak beat of a pulse.

Taking in his son's pale complexion and many wounds, Thranduil quickly deduced that Legolas would need a healer soon. He felt his own face drain of color when a sudden thought of what would happen crept into his mind.

The king shook his head, regaining his composure. He did not have time for these dark thoughts. He had almost lost Legolas too many times already, he would not lose him now to foolish thoughts.

He had to get Legolas to the palace.

Strong blue eyes scanned the surrounding area, searching for a way to carry his son without aggravating his wounds further, but found none. His horse had obviously gone, most likely frightened by the battle. And even the smooth elvish animal would ride to rough to support Legolas in the condition he was in.

Thranduil looked at the fair face of his son, outlined with pain and fatigue.

"I am sorry ion-nin." he said softy, pre-apologizing for the pain he would cause.

The king slipped his arms underneath Legolas's lithe body and pulled him up in his strong arms. Thranduil became instantly concerned at how light his son felt in his arms. Legoals was only slightly smaller than most elves, but Thranduil had never noticed at how thin he was till now.

He would have to make Legolas eat more.

The king steadied the prince in his arms, resting his golden head upon the older elf's chest. Thranduil was slightly alarmed that Legolas didn't cry out from pain or show any signs of life besides the soft, ragged breathing. It only encouraged him to move faster.

The king began to make his way to the edge of the clearing, encouraging his weak legs to move, when a small noise caught his attention. His ear's pricked up as the trees ruffled and a tall figure lightly jumped down from the green canopy.

Thranduil's body shook in relief at the sight.

Gadir ran across the clearing as soon as he had landed from the tree. He stood stricken in front of his king and prince before remembering his place and bowing slightly.

"My lord..." he began, voice shaky and uncertain of the sight before him.

His king stood, in front of him, looking too pale and ragged, with exhausted blue eyes.

Gadir's eyes traveled down to the figure in the king's arms and paled at the bloody, unconscious prince.

He gulped slowly as worry flooded his features. The prince was not looking very healthy at the moment.

"Gadir, thank Valar you have come." Thranduil said, eyes softening with relief. He hauled himself over to the stunned elf and lifted a limp Legolas to Gadir.

Gadir appeared uncertain, afraid that touching Legolas would harm him further.

"You must get him to the palace and a healer." Thranduil said, pleading the elf to be swift.

Gadir hesitated and reached out trembling hands to take the prince in his arms. Legolas needed a healer, but he did not like leaving his king in the state he was in. He lifted his eyes to meet those of Thranduil. The king's features were filled with grief and worry for his only son. He hated to see his king like this.

Thrnaduil had always been known for his strength and unprecedented presence, but now, he seemed so feeble and weak.

"Be swift, mellon-nin." Thranduil said softly and let Legolas fall into the arms of Gadir.

Gadir was thankful that the prince weighed less than he originally thought. He tried to ignore the wetness that crept down fingers that was most certainly blood.

The elf turned to leave, a new mission in his mind when he spotted a man lying face up close to where Thranduil was standing. A hatred filled his eyes when he saw that the man was still breathing. The young human's tunic was bloodied and torn in most places. Gadir felt a twinge of joy at the man's pain; the man who must have been a part of his prince's and king's pain.

"What about him?" Gadir said, inclining his head toward the man.

Thranduil turned and locked his eyes on the man, taking in his presence.

"Go, quickly." Thranduil said, leaving no room for argument, eyes still locked on the human.

Gadir turned and ran off to the woods at the fastest speed he could muster while carrying his precious cargo.

Once the elf had gone, Thranduil walked slowly up to the human sprawled out on the ground.

He studied the human once again, heart conflicting with his mind.

Finally, after a few moments, he exhaled loudly and bent down to the man, resting an elegant hand on his head.

"Humans..." he stated bluntly, wondering lightly if Legolas was rubbing off on him.

oooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

His head hurt.

And it seemed like annoying dwarves were back, this time harboring in his ribs and back instead of his leg.

He felt so tired, but was overcome with a sudden sensation to wake up. Unfortunately, his eyelids now weighed much more than he remembered them weighing.

He closed his eyes tightly, then, with much effort, opened them a slit, letting a wave of light crash down on him.

The elf felt strange sense of familiarity when he racked his tired mind for any recollection of past events. He slowly put together his father arriving, Sadir dying, and then...nothing.

His head pounded in an annoyingly steady beat along with his back and ribs. Sucking in a deep breath, Legolas opened his eyes fully and gazed at his surroundings, praying that he wouldn't find wargs, spiders, or insane humans anywhere.

The elf immediately recognized the room. The intricate details of the woods stretched out along the walls, filling the room with the presence of the forest. There was a slight smell of herbs and medicine that lofted under Legolas's nose.

Ah yes, he had been here many times before.

Legolas was in none other than the healing room of Mirkwood, a second bedroom to him if you asked any other elf.

He squinted against the bright light that shone through the window that exited out onto a small balcony. The light that filtered in, spread across Legolas, causing his head to pound even worse.

Legolas turned his head to the side slowly, surprised at how hard it was to make such a simple movement.

"Well, my friend, you have finally awaken." a gruff voice stated.

The voice seemed so familiar to Legolas, but he couldn't place it. His mind struggled for a face to put with the voice, but came up empty, so he was content with looking for the source.

The young elf moved his eyes slowly across the room to rest on a blurry figure. He squinted further and the face cleared to show a smiling human, brown hair hanging loosely around his face.

"St..rider?" Legolas choked out. It frustrated him that his voice, like his head, was not being cooperative.

"About time." The human said, smiling as he did so.

"You have been asleep for five days." he stated calmly, adding a smirk. Aragorn was immensely relieved that the elf had awoken. He could not stand the many questions that the king had assaulted him with in the day he had been awake.

Aragorn also felt very out of place when the king had sat by his son's bed during the day, royal eyebrows scrunched with concern.

Legolas's eyes widened as he slowly took in the statement.

"Five days!" he all but yelled, his voice miraculously coming back.

Aragorn jumped back, wide-eyed as Legolas attempted to sit up. He had never heard the elf sound so disgruntled at a fact, even when they were captured by Sadir. Aragorn could not help but let a small smile play across his features at this.

Legolas looked almost comical, a bandages wrapped tightly around his forehead and ribs. His golden hair was a mess about his head, making his blue eyes seem brillant.

"Legolas!"

Both Aragorn and Legolas froze at the voice, fear building up inside of them at the icy voice.

Legolas had heard that tone many times before and knew that it would be much more beneficial to play dead than any other option. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late to do so.

"What are you doing, penneth?" Legolas cringed and looked up slowly to meet the eyes of Thranduil, praying that what ever he had done wasn't that bad.

But he was instantly surprised at the warmth and caring in those eyes. It seemed as though the king was filled with joy, not anger.

"Lay back down Legolas." he said softly, leaving a wide-eyed Legolas to relax back on his pillow.

"And you...Aragorn, Strider, whoever you are, you just awoke yesterday and should not be walking around in your condition." he said sternly, eyes glaring at the human.

If Aragorn hadn't been so intimidated by the elf's presence, he would have scowled, but since Thranduil was the king of Mirkwood and a great deal taller than him, he only nodded and went back to his bed beside Legolas.

Thranduil smiled when Aragorn had situated himself in his bed and then focused his attention on his son.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, concern of a father shining through in his face.

"Fine ada." Legolas replied with a huff. The healing room was his most un-favorite place to be. The healers usually contained him there for sometimes, weeks at a time, poking and prodding him in different places and forcing him to consume different potions.

He glanced around the room hesitantly and sighed with relief when he saw no healers hiding in the corners ready to feed him their latest drink.

But the worst part of the whole ordeal was the confinement in the room, away from the trees and the forest.

"Good." Thranduil said a smile playing at his lips. He walked up to Legolas and set a soft hand on his shoulder.

"I am glad that you are well, my son." a flash of reminiscent worry crossed his face for just a moment before he smiled broadly.

His heart had nearly stopped when he arrived at the palace to behold his son so feeble and weak. The healers had worked through the night patching him up and stabilizing his condition. They had said that the young prince's condition had been critical for the first day.

It was amazing how fast he had healed.

"Pardon me, king Thranduil." Aragorn started, a slight trembling in his voice. He could not tell if the king smiling was a good thing or not. He hoped for his and Legolas's sake that he was not still angry.

"Do have any news on Dater?" he asked. He could not help but wonder what happened to the man. Dater had caused much pain, but he had also saved them in a way. As much as it hurt Aragorn to say, Dater had saved them; intentional or not, it if wasn't for him, they would not be here.

Thranduil looked out the window, staring out onto the dazzling leaves dripping off the trees.

"I know not what happened to that human." Thranduil stated coldly, not letting his eyes stray from the golden leaves.

"I can only assume that he went to live with the other men."

Legolas and Aragorn locked eyes, a silent understanding drifting between them.

They would not see Dater again.

"Now you two get some rest." Thranduil said turning to the man and elf.

He let his eyes stay on Legolas's face for just a moment, taking in his son's bright eyes. In those deep eyes you could never tell the pain that the young elf had go through. They almost shone past the dark bruises on his fair face and the bandages wrapped tightly around him.

He let his hand rest on the door before turning sharply, eyes blazing.

"And don't even think about getting out of bed till a healer approves of it." he stated, voice full of unmentioned threats.

Legolas pouted slightly while Aragorn nodded, finding more and more similarities between Lord Elrond and the King. He really did not know if that was a good or bad thing...

oooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Legolas opened his eyes suddenly, looking around the dark room for any signs of life.

The healers had just left a few hours ago, after changing his and Aragorn's bandages, convinced that Legolas had been getting some much needed sleep.

He let a smile creep up on his lips. It was almost too easy...

Legolas took one last sweep of the room, skipping over the bundle in the other bed he only assumed could be Aragorn.

He slowly lifted off the covers and slid out of his bed silently. His ribs burned with every noiseless breath he made, but he could handle the pain.

He could _not_ handle being locked up like an animal.

He moved stealthily over the floor not making the slightest noise.

Legolas made his way over to the window and slid it open, cringing when it made a slight jarring sound. After pausing to listen for a moment, the young elf stepped through the window, out onto the balcony.

He sighed, taking in a breath of fresh air and letting the cool night wind caresses his hair.

"You too?" a sudden voice shocked him and caused him to jump slightly.

He let his eyes flicker to Aragorn sitting in the corner of the balcony. Legolas raised a confused eyebrow at the man, before the bundle of sheets clicked in his mind.

The man obviously had experience...

"So I thought that you were not allowed out till the healers commanded." Aragorn said mockingly, rasing an eyebrow of his own.

"Well, technically, they did not say I could not leave." he said, smiling back.

"They just said that you must stay." Aragorn finished for him, shaking his dark head.

"Your loopholes are pathetic." he said, adding a little laugh afterwards.

Legolas just shrugged and let his gaze rest on the stars, dotting the sky, and sending light to the darkest of places. He paused, features scrunching up at a sudden thought.

"I just wanted to... thank you." Legolas said, after a moment. He turned his blue eyes upon Aragorn, hard seriousness gracing his features.

Aragorn studied the elf for a moment, before smiling and giving another laugh.

Legolas raised another eyebrow at the man.

_He must have found father's wine somehow._

Aragorn stopped laughing abruptly when he saw the questioning look he was being given.

"No need for thanks, mellon-nin." he said softly while putting a supporting arm on the elf's shoulder.

"That is what friends are for." Aragorn said, adding another smile.

Legolas paused for a moment, taking in the statement, before giving a wide smile that encompassed his whole face.

Somehow, he knew that the statement meant so much more than on the surface.

Time seemed to stop for a moment as both man and elf looked upon the vast heavens, a thousand questions being answered and asked at the same time, not knowing how that statement would dot the rest of their lives and friendship.

THE END

* * *

**where tears fall: ** **tear tear **

**well, that is the end! Thanks again to everyone who reveiwed and gave me suggestions- you have my deepest appreciation! **

**BYE! and thanks for reading!**


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